


A Wishful Promise

by Carnal_Instinct



Category: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Implied Relationships, Marriage Proposal, Psychological Torture, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23866975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carnal_Instinct/pseuds/Carnal_Instinct
Summary: The wise men did always say, "Only fools rush in". But Bulma said to Goku much louder, "If you don't act now you're going to lose her forever!"
Relationships: Son Goku (Dragon Ball)/Reader, Son Goku (Dragon Ball)/You, Son Goku/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 73





	1. When Times Are Rough

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Conton City Lockdown](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23498029) by [Carnal_Instinct](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carnal_Instinct/pseuds/Carnal_Instinct). 



> One day I'll write one shots not related to Xenoverse 2, but that is not this day. Anyways, this is a brief spin-off one-shot of Conton City Lockdown I needed to get out to focus back on that. Anyone else ever had that happen? This won't have any direct ties to that story other than the setting, I just wanted to write some pain. :')

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'She is invincible', they say to him.

A languid hand reaches over to the night stand to switch off the buzzing alarm, the snoring that filled the room coming to an abrupt stop when you shifted against the sheets and rubbed the sleep from your eyes. Your body was exhausted of all these missions given to you but you were relieved to be finally down to the last one. 5 more minutes, your body aches you to settle back in but you knew that would be 5 more hours if weren't careful. A pair of strong arms agrees with your body, turning it into a pillow to snuggle into with no signs of letting go. You feel a nose and lips you sure were pouting press into your shoulder. You reach back and caress the wild hair of the saiyan you shared the bed with.

"No, _not this time_. I got plans to get ready for." Your tired voice protests the embrace, knowing where it would lead if you didn't. "Trunks asked me to head out on a routine patrol with some rookies fresh from the academy. _I have to go_." You feel he face lift from your skin as the saiyan raised himself up enough to brace on his own palms.

"I thought we were going to spar today. Shoot... how long is your time patrol going to take this time? Oh- _Can I come too?!_ In case someone super strong shows up I'd like to see you guys in action, and get it on it myself." He asks, unbridled joy overcoming the weariness of his own body and beaming like sunshine in his wide eyes. You look up to him with your weary gaze, a direct contrast to his energy this morning as you shake your head at that. He always asks and the answer is always the same.

"...Maybe you could use this time to get scouted by some of the other patrollers looking to train with you. Ya know- _your job here_." You suggested, booping his nose with a finger before sliding out of the blanket and edging to the end of the bed to sit up. "I know I made a promise to spar with you, I'm sorry.. But it shouldn't take too long. Just surveillance of a small distortion, nothing that would interest you much." 

"I guess. Still, we get to spar right after like you promised okay?" Goku moves beside you, hopeful eyes looking to yours to make it a concrete promise.

"Yeah, yeah. Better hope they don't tire you out before you get to me, stud." You lean over placing a hand on his bare chest and give him a quick peck to his lips before moving to get ready for the day, Goku doing the same but he seemed more attentive of you today than usual. Lingering heavily around your presence as you went through your morning routine, looking over your shoulder and finding him there almost at every turn. It comes off as suspicious but knowing him he may be impatient for you to leave because he is eager for you to return and fight him. You depart your living quarters with another quick kiss and a final reminder for him to go train with some more Time Patrollers and head toward the Time Machine Plaza to meet up with the others.

* * *

  
"Is it true Whis is looking for you to become the new God of Destruction?! Does that mean you're _stronger_ than Lord Beerus?!"

"Did you _really_ train with Zamasu?!"

"Are you really a part of a secret patrol spy squadron ran by the Great Saiyaman to recruit _and_ overthrow the Time Patrol?!"

The eager troop of three surround you and belt out question after question, all looking for answers to your exploits as the Conton City Hero. You debunk their questions as much as you could before Trunks steps in to settle it, putting them all in an attention stance.

"Thanks for going in my place today, I guess I should have warned you how eager they were to get to meet you ahead of time. This mission should be a piece of cake for you, walk them through the steps of what to look out for and report back to me when you return. Something strange is going on with planet Namek, but it's been a little difficult to track. It takes place before Frieza and his henchmen show up looking for the dragon balls so it shouldn't be too serious. I should hurry back and aide the Supreme Kai of Time. Good luck to you all." Trunks takes off back to the Time Nest as you and your trio head for the time machines.

It was hard to sit back and view Planet Namek as the serene and simple place it was when you spent practically all of your time defending it from the evil that came to harm it. Each rookie was given a specific task of staying out of sight and looking over the villages for anything strange while you remained as a sort of contact center back where you all arrived. Like you had hope, it seemed that whatever was going on here was just something small that wouldn't hurt the timeline too much and this was a simple _get in-get out-go home_ mission. Perfect for newcomers fresh out of the academy to get use to it before the real dangers are thrown at them. 

After a couple of hours you start to summon them back to head home, however a strong power level pings in your senses. Stronger than anything that should be here.

"You guys sense that, too? Keep your eyes open and meet up with me." You order, coming out of the hidden space and heading out in the direction of the power level. You pressed a button on your communicator to send a signal back to the Time Nest. "Trunks, can you hear me? I think we found the problem here. Heading there now to check it out.. I'll keep you updated as soon as we're done."

"(y/n)! Its Lord Slug! He's here subjugating the other namekians and gathering the dragon balls! He's-" One of the agents shouts into their communicator before being cut off. You act fast, flying at full speed toward the power readings in time to spot the dreaded evil namekian easily putting down one of the patrollers. The others arrive as you charge in with a quick kick to the large green figure to put space in between you all. They gather around the fallen warrior and you offer your senzu capsule to bring him back up to speed as you stand before them to face Slug. His body radiates with the distorted power of the time rift. He's not suppose to be here, but with a few of the namekian dragon balls close to his presence it doesn't take much to figure out why. "Gettin' pretty sick of running into you, Slug." The Super Namekian can only growl as his mind is enveloped by the power flowing through his large stature, red eyes glowing menacingly in your direction.

"Let's go to work, guys!"

* * *

  
Your Time Machines reappear and dock in the stations of the Plaza, the patrollers quickly hoping out one by one except for the large human male who moved more carefully. In his arms was _you_ , carried in a bridal style fashion with blood spilling from your mouth and open wounds in your chest. You were drenched in your own blood. Your breath was shallow, straining in your throat against the moisture filling it in. They moved quickly to get you to the Time Nest where Trunks said he would be. Finding him and the Elder Kai at the gateway.

"Help! We need help! Trunks, come quick!" One of the agents scream out as they all approach. "H-He came out of nowhere! We barely had time to react!"

The male patroller eases down on a knee to prop you up, revealing the depth of your wounds to a worried Trunks and Elder Kai. 

"How did this happen?!" Trunks questioned, inspecting your body.

The panicking Majin was the first to try to explain. "Cooler showed up and he-" 

"He shot her point blank in the chest with a barrage of powerful energy from his finger! He and Slug were wrapped in this overwhelming aura. We finished off Slug together but we were barely able to fight him off and get away!" Cued in a fast talking saiyan.

"We tried to give her a senzu bean but-.. _there was so much blood_ -" The human patroller followed up, jerking in fear when you coughed up more of it. "S-she's choking on her own blood, we need a Senzu capsule now!"

"(y/n)!?" Goku's voice hits your ear as he appeared in a flash, rushing over and taking hold of you. The vision of you set a horrified expression in features. "Her energy is dropping fast, what happened?!" 

"Ka-..Kaka-" You wheeze, choking further with more blood spilling out the side of your mouth. Your vision is fading in and out and sounds muffle in your ears. All you could really make out was your own struggling breath.

"I'll go get Supreme Kai of Time! She can heal her! Goku stay with her!" Trunks leaps up and flies through the portal into the Time Nest.

"Wait Trunks! He's not going to be fast enough!" Goku supports you against his body as he frees a hand to dig in his pocket for a senzu bean. You feel it press against your lips, weakened muscles trying to work it in so you can bite down on it. At the moment, everything around you seemed to fall to blackened silence.

You feel your consciousness slowly return, body heavy with some strange paralysis at first but you recover control. Your vision takes longer to come back into focus. It's still quiet, _unusually_ so. All of the pain that ached across your torso was gone at least ,and you can feel your breathing was normal again. "That senzu bean was right on time. Dammit... Can't believe I let him get the better of me like that. I'll show that overgrown lizard the error of his ways." You muttered, rubbing on your eyes as light started to fade in you sight. Bright against your vision, but shapes and colors start to take form. Your ears open up to what's going on around you. Blinking things clear, you look around and see blue people in suits directing little puffs of clouds around in a single file line. All the voices hit you at once, the loudest one making you jump with how hard it hit you.

  
"NEXT!"

  
You turn behind you to see an enormous red face peering down at you from what looked to be colossal desk.

  
"Wh-What the hell are you?!"

* * *

  
Goku had done just as you instructed and found some Patrollers to train with. He found it better for all of them to come at him at once then a one on one considering where their power levels were compared to yours and Vegeta's. It was as much fun that way as he expected and would be a welcome warm-up before he sparred with you later. He could hardly wait, there was more he wanted to show you later afterwards. Having worn out his trainees, he encouraged them to continue training on their own with what they've learned today and rushed off to return to your quarters to wait for you. 

Before he could arrive, he senses your energy return to area and is immediately stricken with joy, but dread quickly takes it's place when he feels it fading fast. Instant Transmission transports him to you and the group surrounding you. Your body and the stranger holding you is coated in blood, your skin paler than your normal glow and eyes are hazily switching between people. Until they find him. His heart drops at the shallow sound that was you struggling to breathe but he doesn't hesitate to make his way over and take your body from the other person. A human who backed away from you, both hands trembling at your blood painting his arms as two others joined his side to comfort him. 

_"I-It's my fault. If I waited for you guys to come, I wouldn't have needed her healing capsule.._ " Goku hears the man behind him, but does not react to it much as your voice tries to call out to him to which he shushes you. 

"I'll go get Supreme Kai of Time! She can heal her! Goku stay with her!" 

"Wait Trunks! He's not going to be fast enough!" Goku does the next best thing and gathers one of his own senzu beans from the sack tied to his hip. Your breathing starts to grow quiet, bringing him to a panic. The single bean is pressed to your gasping mouth," _C'mon, c'mon_! You gotta eat it!" Goku begs, trying to get the bean to break between your teeth. He looks back at your open eyes and notice their stillness. Slowly your head rolls away from him to rest at a lowered angle across his arm, the senzu bean falling from your mouth uneaten.

"N-No!" He cries out, using his free hand to turn your vacant eyes toward him. "(y/n)!... **(Y/N)**!"

Your energy is gone. _You're gone._


	2. Call Out My Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goku and the others look for ways to bring you back to life as you come to terms with your death.
> 
> 'And she is well trained', they say to him.

" _NEXT_!"

You turn behind you to see an enormous red face peering down at you from what looked to be colossal desk.

"Wh-What the hell are you?!"

"Ah, you. The last thing I need is another one of you holding up my line! Go stand over there, I'm not going to waste the paperwork on you. Get!" The giant, red monster man orders you with a waving gesture.

"H-Hey! Who do you think you are talking to me like that?!" You challenge with a raised fist, seeing the annoyed expression on the large face grow into rage.

" **I'M THE GREAT KING YEMMA, YOU LITTLE BRAT! SHOW SOME RESPECT BEFORE I CAST YOU TO HELL FOR THE SHEER ENJOYMENT**." The Ogre's voice boomed down upon you, shaking the very floor beneath your feet and making you stumble. It rattled you enough to take a step back from the desk, but not enough to make you step away as commanded.

"Where am I?! _Where's Kakarot_?!" You question back as he settles back into his desk to calm himself.

"Oh... you mean _Goku_? Back where your body is, I'm sure. This may come as a shock to you but you didn't exactly survive your wounds." King Yemma directs your attention to your head, his large pen pointing to indicate the floating halo above your head. You lift your head slightly, only able to catch a fleeting glimpse of the bright ring that immediately alarmed you, frantically moving around the room for a means to better see it. You catch your reflection in a pristine surface, everything about your body appearing the same like you had just left your home with the addition of the golden ring floating above your head. When you allowed yourself to breathe again it built up into a panicked frenzy of shallow gasps and you fly over to the large orge's desk.

"But the senzu bean! I-I felt it in my mouth! Kakarot, he-" Your mind flashes to the moment before your passing, the senzu bean pressed to your lips and the haze of light that took your vision as sounds muffled to nothingness in your ears. It's vague, but you know you heard Goku calling your name before it felt faded. _Far away,_ like falling into a dream. Instantly, your memories jump back to your mission on namek. You and your team putting down the evil-powered Slug and liberating the namekians from him. Then everything sped up from there, your senses picking up the presence of another power, Cooler appearing in his Final Form directly in front of you and coated in the same energy Slug was. He fired a single beam into your chest that stunned you from, his ki rising as countless more searing death beams penetrated your upper body and arms. Your super saiyan transformation faded from your body as the barrage ended and you see his form become smaller as you fell out of the air. Spills of blood float out of your body before you land in the arms of the human time patroller you aided. Even if your body would _allow_ you to get back up to fight, your breath became shallow, straining against the flow of your blood and you felt your muscles growing weary to your will to move. The less you moved for now, the better off you were, but you couldn't let them fall to Cooler either.

You catch a glimpse of the Majin Patroller jumping in to fight the powered up Cooler as the other rushed over and tried to quickly feed you a senzu bean. You open your mouth to take it in, an inhale of air quickly jammed in your throat with rising blood making you choke and cough the bean out before you could even bite into it. Blood bubbles down the side of your mouth as you attempt to lift your head to stave off the build up in your throat. That's when your lungs and throat began to fight against you for full breaths, the rejected bean bouncing off and disappearing into a green pool of namekian waters. 

"We have to get out of here and call Trunks!" Your hear your carrier shout out to the fighting Majin. The memory is blurry from there, memories moving faster and faster but you do recognize Goku's silhouette showing up suddenly. You remember seeing his hands become red with your blood when he took you in his arms, the panic in his eyes when he shouted out to Trunks. You have never seen that from him, not over you. There was never a moment he had to. _And now._.

"--Not soon enough, I'm afraid. It's fine, just _stay quiet_ and wait over there! The Supreme Kai of Time has already sent word not to place you. _Like anyone even cares about people having a job to do down here or anything.._ " King Yemma spoke the last words to himself, looking back at you and snapping once again, "Go on, _get out of my line_! We have a quota to fill today!"

You move as ordered with no fuss this time, hands clutching at your chest to try and calm your nerves as you took a seat in a single chair by the towering window. And your quiet, not because you were _told_ to be but because you had nothing else to speak upon the realization. Scanning over the line of the deceased, you tilt your head in thought at the appearance of them all. "..Why aren't I...like _them_?" Little clouds carrying a single voice, a person who was once living and had a body, now just smoke.

"You must have been a _great hero_ in your life. Only those who carry out acts of righteousness gets to keep their bodies after they die. You work with the Supreme Kai of Time, right? In the Time Patrol? I'd imagine you do a heck of a lot of good in a position like that." One of the small ogres of blue skin approached you, a tray in his hand as he lowered it down to reveal the glasses filed with ice, each holding a different color of liquid and topped with a small umbrella for flare. You shake your head at it and fold your arms. "Sometimes, though, _bad souls_ get to keep their bodies too for their **eternal suffering**.. It can get scary when they come through here." The ogre mentions before stepping away to offer his tray to another soul.

This was too surreal, and yet the facts remain certain. You were actually dead, as quickly as you could blink your eyes everything changed for you. _For better or worse_ , you were able to keep your physical form here. Either a hero for all the good done as a Time Patroller. **_Or.._**

You shake your head not willing to dwell on the thought. King Yemma assured Supreme Kai of Time was working to get her star patroller back to Conton City, good as new. You didn't want the question answered where you would wind up upon your death. And you knew Goku wouldn't let you stay this way, either.

* * *

  
"(y/n)!... **(Y/N)**!" Goku cries out to you, giving your limp body a light shake in hopes of bringing you back to consciousness. Yearning to see your eyes flick and hear your breath fall from your parted lips again, that you had simply drifted out of consciousness for a moment from the loss of blood and there was still a moment to spare to attempt to give you the senzu bean again. But there's no response. _Nothing_. The only steady warmth on your pale skin was found under his touch. Eyes, still open, looked like empty voids. Goku pulls you up against his chest and holds your head under his neck as he pleaded desperately in your ears for you to do something, _say something_. **Give him anything!** Supreme Kai of Time and Trunks return in time to see this. The relaxed, motionless state of your body in his arms and the way his bangs shadowed his face relaying the worse. 

"Goku.." The Supreme Kai of Time started to approach him. Goku clenches a fist and slams it down into the ground, the floor molding to his fist and powerful tremors breaking up the surface as they tore away from the impact. Everyone around him shake with the force of raw power rattling the turf beneath them.

" _Damn it!_ " He growls, teeth clenched and his arm trembled from the pressure of his fist. His ki flared wildly with his rage, super saiyan energy sparking around him as he drew you closer. " _This shouldn't be_ -..." He snarled, broken. "I should have... I should have been there!" Goku slams his fist once again, Super Saiyan form exploding out and taking out some of the structures surrounding the area and blowing back anyone and anything not able to withstand his force. Slowly his hand lifts from the crater it created and lifts your face from him enough to allow your head to roll on its own weight. He takes his fingers and drag them slowly down your eyelids to close them, letting the super saiyan energy leave him. As badly as he wanted to try and restore you with his God Ki as he had done for Master Roshi once, these wounds were too deep, too severe. "Supreme Kai of Time... Is there something you can do?" He asks meekly lifting his head, revealing the suffering in his dark eyes.

"I'll do what I can for now, but we're going to need the dragon balls for the rest. Bring her to the Time Nest." She instructed, looking briefly to Trunks. "Trunks, go gather the dragon balls as fast as you can. Follow me, Goku." Supreme Kai of Time and Elder Kai make their way back into the Time Nest, Goku collecting your body and following in tow. The Supreme Kai of Time had Goku bring you into her own living quarters, admittedly much larger and grand than the outside would leave one to believe. He place your body on a large chaise as she had told him and she focused her energy over your body, this sustained orb of light pressed to your wounded chest. "I can undo the wounds, which is easier to restore someone from their battle injuries if they are alive... but recalling a spirit? Can't say I can reverse death itself. Goku, you should go help Trunks gather the dragon balls. It will go a lot faster if you do."

"Reverse death...?" Goku repeats to himself, eyes widening in realization. "I know someone who may be able to help without the use of the dragon balls!" He spoke up and stood up straight, placing his fingers against his forehead and vanishing from sight.

* * *

  
"You want me to reverse time to save (y/n)?" The tall angel peered down his cup of tea with a raised brow at Goku after listening to him explain the matter at hand. "That's hardly something worth the trouble, Goku. _You know that_."

"Please, Whis! Just this once. I'll bring plenty more ramen when I come back!" Goku pleads, ever persistent. Whis stares him down further as Goku continues to list foods he can recall are the "tastiest of the tasty" he's ever known, but otherwise appears unmoved by the saiyan's effort.

"Groveling like that won't do. These things happen, Goku. It's unfortunate, but that's just the way things go. She died doing her duty, after all. Don't disrespect her noble sacrifice by begging to bring her back for your selfish reasons." Whis points out as he puts down his cup and takes hold of his staff. "Not to mention about how messy all that time traveling may make things. Oh, shame! Guess I lose a potential new _God of Destruction_."

One of Beerus' ears flick at the mention of this. "Now hold on a second, you mean to tell me the one responsible for defeating that Towa woman up and died so suddenly? _How disappointing_. They had some semblance of power worthy of battling a God such as myself. Nothing too much to _brag_ about mind you, but the kid could hold her own. You mean to tell me you wanted to try replacing me with that one, Whis?" He remarks with a pudding cup in one hand and a spoon in the other. Whis does not answer, but avert his eyes as he takes another sip of his tea. Beerus now seemed to acknowledge what was going on around him, already having 3 empty pudding cups in front of him where there were none upon Goku's arrival.

"So you really mean to tell me you're not going to help? Not even a little? Even if you reverse time a tinsy bit, I can take it from there! I just need to save her before it's too late!" Goku continues, hands braced on the dining table as he watched Whis.

"Hmm...I suppose this is going to cut into our little party later if we don't do anything, Lord Beerus. All those lovely morsels Bulma worked so hard on to go to waste if Goku doesn't show up because of this." 

" _Tch_ , then I'll just _destroy her_ for getting my hopes up with false promises." The Feline adds, interest once again focused on his pudding cups.

Goku began to slump to his knees, pulling the table cloth with him and the toppings of the table falling around him. All but Whis' tea which he quickly took in his hand and Beerus' last pudding cup snatched up by his tail. The angel shakes his head at the saiyan and stands, the orb at the top of his staff giving off a sudden glow. He stares into the orb for a moment before lowering it down beside Goku's head.

"She doesn't look too bothered in her current situation. You see?" Whis directs him to look. Goku lifts his head to view inside the staff. _There you were_ , off to the side in King Yemma's station in a meditative posture hovering above a chair. His eyes lit up at the image of you through the orb's reveal. You looked exactly like you had before you left your home but with a new, shiny accessory above your head. It relieved him that you were able to keep your body after death, but only by so much. It didn't make you anymore alive. The image then shows your meditation disturbed. You turned your head to King Yemma's desk after one of his subordinates approached him in a frenzy with another who reminded Goku of Goz and Mez. The latter sported the infamous attire of those bound to Hell, but he looked like he had been on the losing end of a fight. The two ogres are explaining something to the larger, annoyed Yemma as you lower yourself to your feet and approach behind, speaking but your words are muted to the staff. It didn't matter what you were saying, Goku saw that bold smirk on your face and knew you were heading into another fight.

"Oh? What's this? I guess a good hero's work is never done." Whis tilts his head at the ongoings in the image, raising the staff back to his level with Goku quickly following behind it's motion to keep watching. "Looks like she's going into hell to assist with some trouble."

Goku steps back and places his fingers to his forehead to Instant Transmission to King Yemma's check in.

Beerus sits up and shakes his fist at the air where Goku once stood. "Hey! Get back here and clean this mess! Goku! _Goku_?!"


	3. I'll Be On My Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'And she is so strong', they say to him.

"What are you doing?"

"Holding your hand."

"... _Why_?"

"Uhh, Isn't that what people do when they like each other?"

"...I guess. But-"

"Then that settles it!"

There's an echo of whispers around you, making you shrink into yourself as you tug against your occupied hand but finding no release.

" _Hnn_....This is embarrassing, people are watching us."

"You think so?"

"Kakarot, I already told you-" Another futile tug. "-Not everyone knows _your_ timeline. Let's not do this around the city."

"Well why not? It doesn't matter to me if they see or what everyone even thinks about it. Here, if it makes you feel better about this, I'll tell everyone." It looked like it happened in slow motion, Goku cupping his mouth with his free hand and turning toward the scattered crowd. "Yoo-Hoo! Can I have everyone's attention, please! Heeeyy!!"

"No! Don't _MAKE_ them look, idiot!" You growl, finally snatching your hand free and getting a confused look from the larger saiyan.

_'Why did I remember that just now?'_   
_**Are you ashamed of your affection?** _

"Here we are!" The bandaged Hell Ogre directs, the memory shattering in wake of the dark reality setting in your sights. 

There was a lot more to the afterlife than one would be willing to find. Heaven and Hell, the good place and bad place, there are levels to all of it. Travelling from King Yemma's sorting station to Hell was eye opening, nothing like the colorful blobs floating through the open air and some pink deviant waiting to cut you down on sight. Nonetheless, you still weren't personally excited to be travelling around the other world to the bad place. _Alive or dead_. But anything was better than sitting in that corner. Time certainly moved differently here if at all, a handful of minutes felt like half a day had gone by, even your meditation had felt like it lasted days at a time before that Hell Ogre came stumbling by. You jumped at the chance to get your hands dirty in a fight and volunteered to go sort out some of the real bad guys here. In fact, you've never felt more energized for it. A perk of keeping your physical form after you pass, it's ironically revitalizing. Shame, you would never get a chance to really see the full extent of it here when dealing with some riffraff punks barely worth the effort. It was only a matter of time before the little halo disappeared and you were returned to your body in the living world. The sooner the better of course, but letting off some steam in the meantime would do well for you while you waited.

"They couldn't have gotten far in a place like this. I-I'll wait here until you take care of them, yeah?" The Ogre meekly waves a hand at you before holding onto his wrapped arm to which you rolled your eyes.

"I'd prefer it that way.. Keep the car running Big Guy, I'll have this place back in order and be back before your swelling goes down." You leap from the vehicle and on the edge of the large platform, gazing down into the clouded abyss. A deep breath fills your lungs before you step off the edge and descend into Hell. Another layer reveals itself as you pass through the cluster of clouds, energy building at your feet to lessen your fall and you push off in flight after a picking up on a few energy readings in the area.

_**You have no doubts. You belong here too, saiyan.** _

A foreboding waves crosses your skin making you shudder the closer you flew to the ground but your eyes remain vigilant to the surroundings, trying to keep your focus on your task. You're looking for bodies, five in total as it was explained to you and it shouldn't be hard to spot them in a place like this. It looked like a fire happened here, leaving nothing but decrepit root like appendages gnarled around itself and covered in ash and soot. Sounds off something large moving around in the distance only seem to up the creep factor. What kind of evil existed for a place like this to be thought up? A lifeless wasteland of cinders and ruin. It could be that simply knowing this place was an extension of Hell itself made you uneasy, and the visual didn't do well to comfort you. A resounding scream takes your attention, levitating higher to get a better view of where it came from. That had to be who you were looking for.

* * *

Goku's sudden presence upon King Yemma's desk startles the large ogre, making him jump back and collapse out of his chair. The interior rattles under his large fall, smaller working ogres and Goku's balance all shook from the vibration. The saiyan quickly collects his composure and rushes over to the end of the desk that gave him a better view of the check in's entrance. His eyes scan the floor for your familiar appearance, but you're not here nor was the ogre from Hell you had approached as seen in Whis' staff. He quickly moves to the opposite side of the desk as King Yemma's hands clasped the edge to pull himself and his chair back up. "Sorry about that, King Yemma! I didn't mean to frighten you." Goku quickly apologizes and waves a hand, "-But could you tell me where (y/n) went?"

"Goku?! No, not _you_! Have you not heard of using a door?!" The great ogre berates the hasty saiyan as he settles himself back in his chair. He takes a moment to readjust his hat and tie and scoots back against his desk, further glaring at the orange-clad saiyan.

"I know, I know. I'll make it up to ya, I promise. But first I need to know where did (y/n) go? Whis showed me she was still here."

"Slow down! She should be back any minute now, she just went to hell to help out with a small problem. _Nothing a trained warrior of the Time Patroller couldn't handle_.. It's that rowdy batch of weirdos the Ginyu Force at it again." King Yemma began to explain with an annoyed frown, gathering the large papers back in order and tapping them against his desk to straighten them. He gathers a book in his hands next and flips through the pages. "She just got tired of sitting and waiting while you're all trying to revive her. Speaking of which, shouldn't _you_ be in the mortal world working on that? The Supreme Kai of Time already sent a note you were being quick about it."

Goku lowered his eyes for a moment and shuffled on his feet a bit, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, Trunks is getting them now. I just... I had to come here for her. Find out what happened and if she was okay. I tried to get Whis to reverse time, but it pretty much wasted all the time needed trying to convince him. I guess it's up to the dragon balls now." Goku spelled out his troubles with a defeated sigh, tucking his arms against his chest. He was confident he could get Whis to help and have you back in his arms alive sooner than later, but that idea flopped on itself.

King Yemma's brow arches at the smaller being. "I get it, Goku. I can see you're serious about getting her back to the mortal world, but you could have saved yourself a trip and just got those trouble-making dragon balls. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to finish work on time today. Wait over there with my assistant until she returns." The Large ogre gestures with a pen to the same chair that once occupied you.

"Wait! Yemma. Goku. Listen up! It's me, King Kai. I have some news for you. Trunks is still working to collect the last of the Earth dragon balls but he's almost done." The telepathic voice of the North Kai echoed from above, prompting both Goku and Yemma to lift their heads for the source.

"King Kai? Oh, you're gonna tell me I wasted my time too? Fine, fine. I'll go wait-"

"No, listen to me closely! It's about (y/n). I've been keeping an eye on her. She managed to locate and defeated the Ginyu Force but something's gone wrong. The Daimao Roots have her trapped. If Trunks makes that wish to revive her while she's attached to that tree, it'll open up a whole new can a worms to deal with! The last thing the Time Nest needs is a soul eating tree stretching across all of time!" King Kai urgently warns, gaining a surprised response from King Yemma but Goku strangely tilting his head in thought despite the hurry in the Kai's voice.

" _Dai-Mah-oh_...Wait, could you say that name again?" He asks in return.

"T _he Dai-Mao_. It's an evil entity that takes the form of a tree and feeds on the spirit energy of souls sent to Hell. It's as old as the Kais themselves and very powerful. Even going as far as possessing good souls to weaken them and devour for their power." He almost hesitates to continue. "Getting consumed by that thing... is like a slow death for the dead. They just disappear... A fate better left to the nastiest and cruelest of souls doomed to Hell."

"And this evil tree has (y/n)?!" The weight of the matter now bringing out a serious expression from the wild haired saiyan. "Where can I find it?!" 

"Quick, sense out her power and use your Instant Transmission to find her! There's still time to get her out before it's too late. I'll inform Trunks and The Supreme Kai of Time of what you're doing so they don't make the wish yet! Be careful, Goku. I'll be keeping an eye on you to guide you as best as I can." Goku presses his fingers to his forehead and opens his senses to the entirety of other world, interrupted when King Yemma whispered down next to him.

"Uh, do me a favor and leave the Ginyu Force there. I could stand to do with less of their mischief clogging up my day." King Yemma interjects. "The less troublemakers rebelling, the better.. Maybe we can send Frieza there if he ever comes back here."

* * *

You never thought you'd see the Ginyu Force outside of a Time Patrol mission. Older warriors on Planet Stock would mention them being a ferocious band of warriors who served Frieza, but getting to see them for yourself was more like a circus. Even in death, they were exactly the same as on Namek. _Posing narcissists_. The four warrior were put down with ease, giving you a sense a familiarity in fighting that overcame your worries but finding Captain Ginyu in the state he was threw you for a shock. You could get over the fact his body was completely different, _a tall and lanky, bald warrior who sported some armor similar to the Frieza's henchman_ and if not for how he was addressed by his teammates you never would have taken him for Ginyu. But how he wound up tangled in these dead roots remained a mystery. Walking across the body of the fallen Recoome, you approach the bound and unconscious Captain with a small tilt of your head. "Hope this was worth the trouble you guys caused." You grumbled, a hand swatting across the thin face in an attempt to wake him but only got a debilitated groan in response. "What's the matter, Ginyu? These little twigs got your tongue?"

_**Murderer** _

A gust carries across your ears, a hushed voice whispered that you couldn't tell if came from around you or inside your head.

"There you are!" Another voice calls out from behind you, it's familiarity immediately making you turn in the creeping darkness to find the orange gi and bright eyes upon you.

"Kakarot?" You gasped, tentative steps toward him before breaking into a full run at him. The sight of him swelled your heart, if anyone would find you in the afterlife it was going to be him. He moves toward you in a few steps as well, a relieved smile in his features as he extended his arms. "Kakarot! What are you doing he-" Your voice hitches as the larger saiyan passes clean through you, a chill racing up your spine as you stumbled in your steps to come to a halt. Quickly, you whip yourself around to look at him as he knelt down, rising up with a small child in his arms.

"You had us worried there for a sec. Don't go wandering off too far now, okay son?" He playfully lectures the toddler as he turned back in your direction, the child nods and laughs as he hugged Goku around his neck, cheeks loving pressed to his father's.

" _Gohan_?" You breathe, shock resting in your bones and a knot in your chest with your eyes looking between the two figures who did not, _or perhaps could not_ , acknowledge your presence before them. "But..how do you know who he is?" Gohan was never born in his timeline, nor had he a formal introduction with small boy in Conton City. At least..not this young, maybe? _He would tell you if he did._ It's impossible for him to know who this was. "Kakarot! How do you know who that child is!" Your voice elevates to a shaky shout in hopes a louder tone was needed to be noticed. To no avail, you are a ghost to these figures. This Goku bore the physical stature of the true timeline and gi given to him by Whis for his training, were it just some figment of the past he would look different. Was it a glimpse from beyond the grave of a future yet to be? You're uneasy again, the discomfort settling quickly in your chest.

"Goku! Gohan! Come on inside, it's time for dinner. I made your favorite!" A woman's voice calls out from behind you, making you turn and look as Chi-Chi waved from the window of a small house that was not there before. Right... _That wasn't there before._ What had become of the Ginyu Force for that matter? They're just suddenly gone. 

"Ya hear that, Gohan? Your mom's made us something yummy to eat!" Goku earns your eyes again as he steps in your direction with the small child chanting _"yummy!"_ in excitement, making you back away and quickly evade being phased through again. 

"Kakarot!"   
_**It's better this way. He belongs with them, after all.**_

You place a hand on your chest and breathe more deeply to calm yourself. "W-what is this?" Goku phasing through you made enough sense: _You were dead_. You get that, but what were you seeing all of a sudden? A hand clenches to your side as you remind yourself you're in Hell. It could be anything _except real_. You're real, the Ginyu Force was real. Something or someone here is messing with you.

 _ **It's fate**_  
"Show yourself and face me, now!" You shout back at the whisper voice, eyes scanning across the darkness as you try to sense something out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not until I really start writing that these small chapters start to stretch into something I have to push over into another chapter. I'll admit angst isn't one of my writing strengths but I hope it's still enjoyable to read!


	4. We Found Each Other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She can withstand anything" They say to him.

"I said show yourself!" A golden aura lightens your form and hair, brightened blue eyes scanning and you steel your mind for anything to follow your call out. Your halo bobs above your head while turning about, cautiously stepping around the reappeared fallen Ginyu force and twig-like roots stretched across the ground. Logic and instinct are battling against one another inside you to whether to leave before the worse of Hell's residence rears its head or to stand your ground against what had the audacity to pull a cheap trick on you. Reminding yourself what you saw was just an illusion wasn't enough to change how the implications of it made you feel. "I didn't think Hell housed cowards!" Through a thicket of decayed looking branches and encroaching fog does your voice carry as if you were the sole being in the whole area. But that was the game this strange force was playing with you, twist your perceptions to feel that dread of helplessness in your solitary stance against it. Even the large shuffling in the distant upon your arrival had come to cease. That menacing wave of wind crosses your skin, unsettling you all over again. 

**"Saiyans..."** The intense voice once a whisper boomed around you and shook you to your core with apprehension, causing you to collapse to your knees under the weight of the force and clutch a hand at your chest. **"Pitiable beings... _Cursed_ the moment you were born."**

Your chest flutters erratically, your heart seeming to pound against its cage and jump between your guts and the base of your throat. What kind of creature has the ability to unsettle you like this by just speaking? Feeling it all around you, inside you. You can't even see it anywhere, but you know the source of the voice is close. Recovering, you power yourself back up to blow back the anxious sensation. "Silence!" You shout back, rising to your feet. "I control my own destiny and I'll pulverize anyone who says otherwise!" A bold assertion, but the irony of it hits you as well. You're dead, in Hell, claiming full control over your fate as you wait for others to resurrect you. Even so, you weren't giving this entity the benefit of taking advantage of you while you're here. 

Energy builds to perfect spheres in your hands as you cast a ki blast forward into the unknown attempting to lure out what was stalking you. No direction was spared your assault, energy blasting on impact wherever they land and illuminating shadows around you. There was nothing but those ash roots and branches for miles out. When small roots shift beneath your feet, you jump up and hover in the air, eyes locked on something rising from the ground as they twist around and consume it. _"We are cursed, aren't we?"_ A phantom's voice speaks from the mass, roots slither as extensions to creating limbs and giving the entity a bipedal stance with arms out at it's side. _"We kill for control, for **fun**... To please a higher power out of cowardice and call it **profit**. That's why Kakarot prefers to be around weak humans. We're... all the same in that regard, don't you think?"_ Red, glowing slits appear in between the gnarling roots, giving the head of the silhouette some semblance of eyes when they widened. The roots then tighten and constrict before expanding, then burst away revealing a wild-haired body formed. It flexes its fingers and shift on it's weight as a sinister and low chuckle escapes it. There's a dark tint looming over it's entire visage, but you notice the pauldron jutting off the shoulders and recognize the saiyan armor wrapped around it's body as well as the quick flick of a tail behind it. _"These lives we live are a one way ticket to Hell. Formless bondage and the eternal damnation. No. Take. Backs."_ It's head tilts up toward you and your eyes lock with it, frozen for a moment at the features in its face. 

_It's you_. 

The armor, it was your old armor from living on Planet Stock. _"It's a good thing Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta when he did. All those wicked souls doomed to fall into Hell.."_ Your warped voice leaves the doppelganger as it smirks deviously up at you.

You steel yourself once more and let out a scoff, grinning in return. " _Tch_.. Gimme a break. So this is your game, huh? Talk me to death with illusions? Gotta do better than that, coward!" The dark copy quickly flies up to you landing a solid punched to your gut. You lurch over in pain and gasp from the air knocked out of you. This one was _not_ an illusion.

The hellish doppelganger takes your chin in its hands and raises your head while you're stunned to look into your eyes again. _"With Frieza being alive again, it's only a matter of time before he finds Planet Stock and finishes what he started."_

"S-Shut the hell up!" You growl back, raising your energy from your Super Saiyan level to that of Super Saiyan 2 and throwing your head forward for a headbutt and jumping back to regain some distance. White ki laces a fist as you launch yourself forward again to return the favor to the phantom's gut, a satisfying grunt from it when landed. You look up, eyes wide as it's not your face you see, but the surprised and scared face of the Supreme Kai of Time. Your fist went straight through her body and the realization paralyzes you. You want to withdraw your impaling arm but couldn't muster the strength to cause more 

_"(y/n)..w-why did you.._ " The small voice pleads for explanation to her demise.

_**"Look what you have done."** _

"I-I didn't- I mean-.. S-Supreme Kai of Time, please-" You stutter remorsefully in return, the face of the small Kai twisting to a malevolent smirk. Your head is yanked back from behind you by your reappeared doppelganger, slamming a ball of ki into your chest blowing you back. Your feet securely catches the ground as you recovered, deeply growling in your fury for falling for these tricks again. Any notion of leaving was thrown out and you power yourself up again.

"Fine then. You want to get brutal?" Your voice laced with rage, "Let's get brutal!"

* * *

  
Goku descended from the platform after being informed by the wounded ogre of your whereabouts. He was able to Instant Transmission as close as he could to your energy, putting him right in front of the vehicle manned by the Hell ogre. However something in this place wouldn't let him pinpoint your exact location. Your ki disappearing and spiking sporadically made it a little difficult to lock onto. Ashy dust blows around his boots when he lands on the ground surveying the area with confused eyes. "This place is nothing like the last time I came here for Grand Kai with Pikkon. I kinda thought it would be more hot and filled with some tough guys to fight along the way, but it's just dark and empty here."

"Try to stay focus here, Goku. Keep your mind clear." King Kai telepathically advises, "Don't let up your guard here for a moment. Right now you may be the only one able to traverse this place without drawing anything nasty your way if you're smart about it. There's hope the aura of the tree roots won't even affect you."

"It's aura?" He repeats quizzically to himself, brows furrowed with worry but his will steeled with certainty he was going to do everything he could to get you out. Even planning ideas of how to defeat this unconquerable foe should it come down to it. "So it's really that strong its aura can overpower people. Then I should be fast about getting (y/n) and getting out of here." Goku clenches his hand with resolve and catches a sight on his arms and looks more closely at his arm. He had almost forgotten the state of his form, his hands and clothes were still stained red from carrying your body. He opens his hand revealing dried smears of blood along his fingers, soaked into the creases of lines and crevices under his nails. For a moment he can see your lifeless head cradled in his palm, that haunting rasp of your final breaths trying to call his name. One of the strongest fighters he's known brought down so quickly the moment he turned his back. It still boggles his mind, wanting to reject the idea you would be the one to die this way and yet he's come all this way to Other World to find you and right this wrong. Someone had to pay for this. Hurting you so brutally and leaving you to a suffer like that until it killed you. 

The recollection leaves him clenching his hand tightly again, fist trembling. No, he can't allow himself to be taken by that pain here. He was so close to seeing you with his own eyes again, holding you safely in his arms. You were going to get so many kisses on your face when he gets his hands on you, so, so many he wasn't going to stop even if you say "uncle". As soon as he had you safe, he would avenge you.

"Goku! Are you listening to me?!" King Kai's yell snaps into his former student's mind, Goku jerking his head up in response. 

"Yeah, I'm listening." He quickly responds and began to take off running to get better readings around the spooky looking area. "King Kai is there anything else you can tell me about this tree demon? Do you know what it looks like?" 

"No- _I was just explaining it to you!_ I am not kidding when I'm telling you to focus here!" The Northern Kai impatiently argues back. " _As I was saying!_ With you being a warrior of such a pure heart, I can only theorize that you may be immune to the evil aura of the Daimao Roots. You carry no darkness in your heart and therefore it has nothing to draw from you. That should be your advantage here, but keep a level head about yourself. The aura alone can take many forms to manipulate you by any means to ensnare you and you're just a walking _all-you-can-eat_ buffet of energy for it." He informs again, ending on a reassuring note to his ward. "..Her will is strong, Goku. You know that as well as I do. She'll resist and fight back for as long as she can.. You're no good if you allow the aura or the roots themselves to disorient you too."

_'I just pray its not too late..'_

"I get it now, King Kai. Don't worry, if all else fails me and (y/n) can still fight our way outta here." Conclusion drawn just in the nick of time, the feeling of your aura spiking up once again and sending waves across the horizon. He's found you, at last. Goku doesn't hesitate to leap up and take off in flight towards your ki setting off nearby. The glow of your super saiyan aura peaking over thickets of elongated, dead branches gave him the visual he needed in case it disappeared again. Five very faint other kis started to come to his senses the closer he became as well and he knew they belonged to the Ginyu Force. King Yemma's plea to leave them there didn't seem very fair for the saiyan knowing what fate would befall them. They weren't exactly good guys, but they didn't deserve _this_. 

Goku lands close by and is welcomed by the force of your power pushing against him, pushing back what was causing you to go off so turbulently. There's bunches of root-like extensions wrapped around both your feet and ankles, a web-like bunch pulling from the ground attached to your mid-section, arm and the top of your head. What was the most unnerving of the sight was what stood in front of you: A shadowy figure, nigh featureless silhouette to the eyes of Goku with red slits for eyes and a distinct, pointy maw curled into a toothy and wicked grin. It tilts its head toward him and stares before disappearing out of sight.

"(Y/n)!" Goku calls out to you. Your aura stops rising and your head jerks up in response. That's a heavy sound in your ears, not as penetrating as the unknown loom of darkness bearing down on your raw soul, but his voice vibrated in your ears enough to stir your awareness like being pulled from a dream. And your eyes find him, vibrant super saiyan blues focus and widen at the sight of Goku. You shudder with a distressed gape, the deep red coating the familiar orange as you began clenching your jaw and fists. A broken whine falls out of you. 

_**"Look what you have done to him.."**_ The misty shadow emerges from behind you, voice raw against your rattled mind and corporeal spirit.

"E-Enough.." You utter wearily, your energy shifting from sustaining itself to erratic once again and your blue orbs vanishing into the white voids of your eyes. "ENOUGH!" You scream furiously, your ki exploding wildly, forcing Goku to brace his own feet to keep from being knocked back. The unconscious bodies of the Ginyu Force are sent flying away, sparks of energy going off in the fiery display as your body forced itself into a Super Saiyan 3 transformation. "Get away from me! Stop this, all these damned tricks! I've had enough! I'll kill every last one of you if I have to!" You scream at Goku, this _illusion of death_ come to haunt you like the others. 

At least this is how he appears to you: Another manifestation of this literal Hell with grim implications. It..hit harder when it was him, when Goku appeared and you couldn't defend against it. Seeing him now in such a scene with blood deeply soaked into his gi leading you to believe he had succumbed to the same fate as you, when in fact it was your _own_ blood you were looking at? It's enough to push your anguish over the edge. You're not even sure how long you've been down here fighting this wily doppelganger anymore, everything warping around your senses and it bombarding you with what you can only grasp as your old memories twisted to break your spirit and manifested fears played out before your eyes. Nerves all shaken up and adrenaline pumping through every vein in your body sending _fight or flight_ senses over their limits. The idea of running away not once crossing your mind, or rather something else made you feel as if you couldn't. So you've been fighting, fighting everything in sight coming at you now and visibly becoming undone in the process. So much so you cannot recognize your own body tapered with the root-like extensions that gave form to your doppelganger, these, _too_ , masked to your vision under the illusions. 

For all the force put behind your punching and blasting, there was no discerning what was tangible and what was a trick to throw you off your guard. The most you could do was push back, no matter what you saw. A bloody Goku was not going to break you. You widen your mouth, a beaming light forming in the back of your throat as you let out another scream and a large concentration of ki fires in Goku's direction. He reacts quick enough, leaping out of the way to avoid it.

"(Y/n), what are you doing?! Can't you hear me?!" He calls out to you again, a glare falling onto the shadow entity behind you. "It's your doing, isn't it? What have you done to her?" Goku demands as ever so slowly his passive approach inched toward a more aggressive one. He doesn't wait for an answer, firing off a quick ball of ki at it in hopes damaging it or even putting distance between the two of you would snap you back to normal. His energy is absorbed by the shadow whom seems elated by the power, the light of the ki disappearing into it's core.

_**"...Goku."** _

You stagger for a moment on your feet, the roots lighting up with beads of golden energy flowing from their connection to you. Breathing heavy and trying to shake off the exhaustion from your attack, you waste no time charging up another. The doppelganger turns toward you in the moment, the reverberating scream of a woman hits you in your chest so deeply your spine turns cold and your entire body pauses. You almost hesitate to turn, but when you do your throat is grabbed, a tight grip lifting you from the ground.

 _"I said kill 'em all! You disobey me and I'll blow you up along with this worthless rock!"_ The menacing screech sending your heart pounding against your chest as you tried to pry the hands from your throat. _"When I give you an order I expect results, you brat!"_

"M-Ma-!!" You choke out a plea, feeling as if you were so small and weightless in this hand that you could not budge it from your throat, forgetting all your fighting in a desperation to free your neck from this grip. You're able to peek your clenching eyes open to see the shadowy replication of your own mother and remember that moment of terror. You were small then too, barely up to her hips in comparison and you remember reaching out for her mercy so young. To a woman who embodied all the core makings of an elite warrior from Planet Vegeta, something like you only slowed her down, held her back. In her way. How so fragile her ego was, she could praise your natural prowess and efforts as a strong warrior for such a young age one moment and then... a simple question highlighting your innocence challenged her authority as an elite scout, _your superior_ , and she threatened to kill you for it. And you could do nothing about it but dangle in her grip, beg and cry. _It was weak of you to want to spare them_ , she said, _and it was humiliating to her for you to grovel for your life_. A child so promising still needed that weakness beat out of them, a reminder that no such existence in the universe would offer a saiyan the same. Such were the ways of a warrior race. But that moment, you were just a child who has never experienced real combat. Her daughter, pleading for her mother and teacher to see your regret in your disrespect and you'll do anything to not be "the weak". You'll obey without question to make her proud again. 

The doppelganger was right. For all you had done in the years following that one moment of weakness, all the pleasure you strived to find in taking lives to survive.. for fun..you belong here.

The Time Patrol cannot erase that from your past. Your face is hot and your eyes are full and warm, super saiyan energy fading from your body. You weren't physically strong enough to fight her off then, but now you simply didn't have the will to fight off the illusion with that heaviness, _that old hurt_ wrenching your entire body into submission. You beg for mercy from damnation. "I d-don-..wanna..die.." You managed to rasp and whimper, tears falling down your cheeks. You're broken. That memory colliding with the image of Goku disappearing in your moment of death. It pushed you over into despair. If you could cry out, you would but it's all stuck in your throat. "I-I don't-"

_**"My child, it is too late to beg for that."** _

"LET HER GO!" Goku rages and lashes forward in his super saiyan blue form, the aura of God ki alone cutting through the shadow entity before his fist knocked it away. It lets out an agonized shrill and vanishes as you collapse to the ground with tendrils of roots wrapped around your neck.


	5. You Gave Me Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You're lucky to have each other." They say to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N 8/27/20:** This is not a new chapter, it's still chapter 5. I realized too late, and after everyone already saw it, that I posted the wrong draft of this chapter and went back to update it as soon as I was available. I hope this is a better and more coherent version to enjoy!

There's a heavy thumping in your ears that turns into pulse in your skull, a sharp intake of air fills your lungs as a loud cry falls from your chest. Legs and arms curl into the core of your body where you fell and for the first time you can see the stringy web of roots clinging to your body, their spell broken and the pulsing glow of your energy being pulled from your body all the more clear. 

Tears continued to drip from your eyes with no end from the anguish built up in your heart. That haunting face of your past tore deep, and you settled into the fact there was going to be no end to this. It was going to happen again and again to drag you down into the wart-ridden, ugly truth you hold to yourself. Feeling real in those moments as if you were living them again created a ball of helplessness in the pit of your stomach and you felt sick from it. It seemed futile to try and stop it, all those uncontrollable sensations hitting you all at once. You were never going to escape that past of yours. No matter what you achieved or how strong you could become, you were still that weak and pitiful child begging for their life, always reminded how close you were to death if you did not act to kill first. Your mind forces itself to retreat within, _to escape_ , consciousness drifting into the depths of your thoughts where it was both deathly silent and filled with your own voice screaming for answers to why you deserved this after all the good you had done. Why did you come here? Why were you still here? What happened to wishing you back with the Dragon Balls? Why was no one here to save you for once? For once... You don't want to be the strongest. There was only a need to breathe free of this voracious haze of darkness consuming you. Your thoughts become lost amongst those old memories of before Conton.

* * *

>   
>  _'We're going back to your home planet, Mama?'_ You're small, tilting your head back to look up at the taller female saiyan with your tail flicking excitingly behind you. Finally, you were going to the home world you heard so much about. She looks down at you with a light cant of her own head.
> 
> _'It's **our** home planet, (y/n). Just because you weren't born on Stock doesn't mean it's not your home too.'_ She sounds a little annoyed, but that's normal for her. She clicks her tongue and lets out a sigh. _'Every time I think about it...Damn it, I didn't mean to get caught up on this planet while carrying you, but it's not like I was going to wait around all day in that ward for you to be born. My squad still needed me.'_
> 
> _'Okay..'_ You fiddle with your fingers, apprehensive of what the rest of your people would be like. Like mama? Strong and brave, smart and...sometimes rough. Mama doesn't smile too often unless you're showing her something new you learned with your abilities, you're not sure if she's happy to go back to the home planet or not. But she talks about Stock a lot. This planet is all you've ever known, you too new, too small to travel with before. You're big enough now, she tells you. Too big for her one pod, so others were coming. _'Oh! Can I tell my friends we're leaving soon?'_
> 
> You see her arms unfold and she stomps a foot forward at you with that infamous scowl, making you stumble back. _'Absolutely not! Don't tell those locals anything! It's none of their damn business what we do, how many times do I have to tell you that?!'_ You immediately nod your head, unsettled. _'I've already sent word to your father and the rest of my squad. Soon as we clear out anything worth taking, this planet is space dust. Gotta cover our tracks..'_
> 
> You remembered being happy to see your father for the first time in person and the other saiyans, and feeling the opposite for what followed the reunion. When you hesitated to attack the native people of this planet. You bonded with them in your growth there, finding them by exploring and scavenging for yourself as you were taught to. You were use to how hard your mother could hit you from training with her, but the way she did it in this particular moment genuinely frightened you more than before. The others didn't bat an eye, they kept killing the people trying to stop them. You were beside yourself when she forced you to kill them. Watching yourself blast down the people you called your friends as they ran _from you_. It was like you were on autopilot. You felt sick, but forced it down in fear of what might happen if you _showed weakness_ again in front of her. You didn't speak a single word the entire trip back to Stock, eating only when you felt her eyes watching you and eventually being put into hibernation sleep pod when the haunting act chased the peace away.

\---

>   
>    
>  _'N-No, please!'_ A frightened voice pleaded with you, dropped to their knees for mercy and immediately met with a blast of ki from your hand piercing through their chest. The scream of two smaller bodies clinging to the freshly deceased corpse follow. You see your hand move without a hitch to them both as well. Now there's three.
> 
> _'I'm up to 13.'_ an electronic voice sounds off in your modified scouter.
> 
> _'15. Found a small group of them hiding. Looks like I win again.'_ You feel your lips move to speak. You're smiling, pleased. Years have gone by since your first time now. 
> 
> _'What?! You slick dog. Fine then, you get the bigger share of spoils this time. They weren't kiddin' about you being efficient.'_
> 
> _'A girl's gotta take care of herself. If you spent more time in the training room than the chow hall, I wouldn't catch you lacking like this.'_
> 
> _'Come off it, I need a break every once in a while after these long scavenging deploys. Ha! I'd like to see that old Frieza Force try to make use of this place now.'_

\---

>   
>  _'The report said there were three of you, but I only have two in custody. Where's the other-'_ The lanky space policeman's voice is caught in his throat when he sees his ship lift off the ground, presumably by itself. He catches you on the underside holding the space craft over your head with a single hand and a bright light forming where it weighed in your palm. The ship then explodes, an earth shaking tremor when the wreck hits the ground again.
> 
> _'Well look at that, guess I'm all thumbs today. Whoops!'_ You jest emerging from the smoke of the smoldering ship remains. _'I guess you can't run off this dirt ball without your ship now, or even call for help.. Why are you galactic patrol losers always getting in the way of our work, anyway? We're just trying to make an honest living.'_ You smirk as you approached the lone patrolman fumbling with the gun from it's holster. 
> 
> Short of an encounter with any rouge Frieze force members, fighting against a trained galactic patrolperson was the most challenge one could get this far in the universe, but it was no match for you. It would take more than one galactic patrolman to deal with even _one_ saiyan no matter how strong they claim to be. Especially you. You relish at the unconscious body underneath your boot.
> 
> _'Good work, (y/n)!' Your ally calls out._
> 
> _'That'll show the patrol what it means to mess with saiyans!'_ The other adds.
> 
> _'Oh shut up, he apprehended you without a problem. Way to set an example for the saiyan race.'_ You jeer at the two after releasing them from their binds.
> 
> _'The little creep snuck up on us! He's lucky there was no moon around or I'd have showed him up myself.'_
> 
> _'Then keep your guard up, dumbass. That's basic training. Whatever, let's just blow this place up before the other space cops find out what happened. There's nothing here worth taking back to Stock.'_ You declare, taking to the air as they follow behind. The three of you build up energy in your hands and aimed it down to the ground. The last thing you remember from the safety of your pod was how annoying the debris sounded knocking against the exterior and turning on the hibernation sleep to get away from it.

* * *

  
A groomed killing machine taught from an early age that the best way to thrive off your home planet was to take out anything and everything that dare to challenge you. _Even when they did not._ That was the way to survive. _'No one was going to spare a saiyan. Don't give them that chance to get the upper-hand.'_ you remember your mother saying to you. The only means to cope with the slaughter was to _enjoy_ it. To laugh about it with your fellow saiyans as just a perk of the job as an elite scout, to strike fear wherever you go. To profit from devastating entire planets in secrecy in order to thrive in a universe where the Frieza Force exists the second most powerful force next a God of Destruction or even the legendary Super Saiyan. Even after the titular tyrant was mysteriously killed in some other reason of the galaxy, the force he hailed was grand in size and occupied very much of the universe.

It pained you to admit that you had become just what the conditions of your lifestyle made you, what your mother wanted for you and what your society wanted for all saiyans. But it went without saying that as long as you were stronger, faster, and the first to show no mercy, you were a warrior worthy of praise. **A true saiyan.**

 _What did that even mean anymore?_ Did a true saiyan usurp the state of one planet so that Frieza could not and call it their home as they had with Planet Vegeta and Planet Stock? Did they remove life all together from their inhabitants in favor of a fresh start for them just because they could? Or was the true saiyan the one saiyan who took a stand to say enough is enough, the gathering who came together to form the first Super Saiyan God or tragically die fighting alone again a tyrant who feared the uprising might of the warrior race? Neither path was victorious for the saiyan race, all lead to death. Truly, a life doomed from birth. There was always this little voice in your mind questioning if this way of life was right alongside a deeply seeded fear placed there to never question it or you would die. 

_That was your sin, and this was your punishment._

You're the one who is dead now, trembling in a ball of defeat as some Hellish creature torments you to no end, all for trying to do the right thing. Here you were, a failure to both your origins and the Time Patrol that helped you separate yourself from the stigma of saiyan culture. Those old survival techniques you had to cast aside in favor of doing _the right thing_ for the Time Patrol wouldn't spare you in this place, but damn you to it. The lesson learned too late that mercy is an option, not every battle had to end with you destroying the entire planet to be victorious, and the worst of all, accepting that sometimes the people you help have to die for the bigger picture.

Your risked your livelihood on this change, stepping away from the old ways in order to become stronger, better than just someone who killed for pleasure. That was Frieza's thing and you needed something to set you apart from vile creatures like that who fell into that ruthless nature. Even if it meant abandoning your home to answer a call for a Time God. Something needed to change to show saiyans could thrive beyond their infamous planet conquering and old service to Frieza. If you became stronger doing something else, you could show it to others and they could grow the same. All the saiyans could.

Oh, but the struggle was evident in the beginning. To become someone different than you were for the Time Patrol training initially felt like living a lie. It felt wrong to be on this side of the fight because you had always made yourself believe it was wrong to go by these passive tactics. Sure you got to fight, but without the boodshed it was as if something was missing. And yet, this new way of life for you had aided you in finding a sense of identity and inner peace. Learning in The Time Patrol Academy was the best thing to happen to you. Living a beloved lie with all the fighting you could wish for. Learning you would not be the strongest Time Patroller simply because you were a saiyan, because a human instructor proved it to you with a thorough beating. You were not the cleverest one because you grew up trained by and became an elite saiyan scout, as frieza's race could outwit and plan three steps ahead an opponent without even trying. The battle was over before you even knew it. And you were not the deadliest one to grace a field because of your killer nature and hidden history, the djinn spawns of Buu could easily display such a terrifying wrath as if was a game to them. Most importantly, you weren't the best choice for a teammate because saiyans are use to fighting in groups against foes, the Namekians have their own instincts of fighting and communicating tactics on the fly with others to ensure success every time.

And you were not the better saiyan as many others were fighting as super saiyans before you even knew it as more than a legend or what it meant to become one. You had the living proof of change in Saiyan nature, the Prince himself, to thank for that growth.

You were part of something big now. There was so much more to every unique individual coming together. Everyone had a common goal of victory for peace and prosperity. You were valued for more than what your race made you, but for what you could do and what your unique experience could offer. No longer bragging about a kill count, but for your overall ranking in a mission, the amount of TP medals and Zeni you earned, mastering techniques from many, many instructors whose moves seemed impossible to implement in battle for you. But you made each and every one of them proud every time. So much so the Old Kai personally looked after your growth and recommended you to The Supreme Kai of Time herself. You became the Hero of Conton City in your venture, and you fought harder to make that true to you heart. You became a merciful, powerful and beloved hero and believed everything you were before was erased from your identity. Best of all, you became someone even the kindest of saiyans could cherish as a friend and lover. That was the cherry on top of your life.

Yet in the end, Hell is what awaits you in the afterlife. No light at the end of this dark tunnel filled with all your uncertainties and regrets. There was no waiting to wake up to Goku's relieved face, returned to your body and home in his arms. You could laugh this off as just a slip up, something that just happened and there was no real consequence to it other than to be more careful. He would bring up his own deaths as some light-hearted and admittedly morbid form of empathy to yours, possibly make note of how much stronger you were going to be coming back from the dead and you get to go home with him for another day. That's what should be happening by now, but it's not. No. You're still here, fighting to do the right thing but crumbling to your own corruptions. No one was coming to save you.  
  
It's a slow awakening from within yourself before the muffled cry of your name pierces through louder and louder and you finally raise your eyes in response to find Goku looking down on you, wrapped in the aura of the blue Super Saiyan God form. You can feel his hand on the back of your head in support and squeezing your shoulder as he shakes you into consciousness. The moment you regain feeling throughout your body, you shove back against him and leap to your feet. You power back up into your super saiyan form and stand ready to fight against this "illusion" once again. 

Why? What did it even matter at this point to fight it off? Attempting to seem tough in the face of "Goku" crumbled immediately. There was no more fight left in you. The golden energy disperses from your body and you lower your head, shut your eyes and drop down to your knees at exerting energy you didn't have. You can feel your hands trembling under the weight of this fated reality.

"It's not enough for you, is it? This.. is my punishment then, isn't it!?" You choke out, bringing your arms around you to hold yourself, tangling the tendrils hanging on. Goku tilts his head at you before moving closer. You hear his foot steps and inch away from his approach, making him halt mid-step.

"(Y/n). Hey, it's me! I came to help yo-"

"Stop. Just... Please go away..." Softly trembles off your lips. A hopeless plea to be left in the comfort of knowing what awaits you for the rest of eternity. A wish on Shenron or not, knowing this is what awaits you always makes going back to do more good seem useless. You hear Goku's voice speak again and attempt to drown him out by bringing your hands to your ears and repeating over and over. "It's not real..It's not real..It's not real.."

Goku takes another step closer and reaches his hands out to you. "(Y/n), please. It's me-"

"Get out of my head!" You shriek back, squeezing your eyes further shut. You're visibly shaking.

"It's really me, I swear! Look." He humbly lowers himself to your level, moving forward on his hands and knees as he reaches for you again. _"Please look at me."_ He begs, his fingers tips brush your wrist and you jerk yourself away, putting your back to him all together with your tail flat on the ground. Your hands move down to your neck before clutching together at your chest. You're silent and so is he. His hand hovers outstretched behind you, wanting to pull you back around and face him. Instead his fingers curl into a fist pulled back to his side as he tries to contemplate his next move. It didn't make sense for you to avoid him like this. He figures without much thought it has something to do with the evil soul eating tree, but you seemed intact enough to him. No wounds, just those stringy roots hanging on and that shadowy monster he chased off with his God Ki. It was good to know the aura of his God transformation could challenge the aura of the Daimao, but you had no such power. It would be easy to rip those roots from you if you allowed him close enough.

".. _.I-I can't_." You whimper, pursing your lips to try and hold back a sob."Please...if you want to torture me...be anything else but Kakarot. Take on any form from my memories, I'll endure it all if you are _anything_ else.." As if pleading with your tormentor for mercy would be fit for you, who denied it many times before for others.

"Goku, This is the power of the roots. She's not fighting it anymore! Even I can't reach her mind to try and talk some sense into her, hurry up and snap her out of it!" King Kai's voice emerges in Goku's mind and he perks at the sudden voice interrupting his thoughts.

"I-I...don't know what to do King Kai." Goku finally admits with a furrowed brow. "I can't Instant Transmission her out of here with those things stuck to her, you said they can't leave this place and she... won't let me touch her. She doesn't think I'm real." He sits back on his heels and scratches at the back of his blue head. _"C'mon, c'mon, think of something!"_ Goku mutters to himself, tucking his hands against his chest and pushing all the gears in his head. A lump brushes his fingers and reaches into the inner pocket of his gi, removing the round button he stored there. A gift from a friend. A light bulb goes off in his head and crawls back up behind you. You flinch at the sound of him getting closer and curl into yourself. The Saiyan God relaxes his demeanor with a controlled breath and sat on his heels close behind you.

"(Y/n), If you won't look at me... then take this." He calmly urges, extending his open hand pass your side so your eyes could find it. You hesitate to even look and he sees your head inch in the opposite direction. "You don't have to look at it to take it. I can ask you to trust me forever, but I have a feeling that wouldn't be enough." Eventually you squint your eyes to see the hand holding out the button, slowly your head turns for a better look at it. You're not sure what it is, you've never seen it before and it was all the more reason not to heed his voice. "Do you know what this is?" Goku asks, trying his best to keep the inflections of his voice composed. He sees you shake your head lightly. "Then it can't be a figment of your memories if you never seen it." He declares to you. The logic behind it sounded very.. _Goku_. Something a fake could not perfectly replicate without mocking the saiyan and coming off as an obvious parody of him. The words were spoken too seriously to be anything but genuine of the original goofball saiyan. "Take it. I promise it's real and it won't hurt you... I can wait." 

"No you can't! The Daimao is already aware of your presence, you have to pull her free and escape while you can!" King Kai shouts inside the saiyan's head.

"She won't trust me if I do that, King Kai. I know what I'm doing."

What else did you have to lose if your pleads could not be heeded. The sooner the trap would reveal itself if you followed through, the sooner you would not be haunted by the image of Goku. A shaky hand gingerly reaches for the item in his open palm, pausing just before you found purchase of it's touch. You see the stains of deep red saturated in his wrist band and even smears just beneath. Without much thought, you recognize what it is. _It's your blood_. When he held you in his arms pleading you to hang on while pushing a senzu bean in your mouth. That blurry sight of his distress in your fading last moments blinked in your mind. The echo of your name in the desperation of his voice sound less muffled when you recalled the brief memory. An expression you had never seen for you from the saiyan. He smiles, he gapes, he drools in his sleep and he woos with his stare. But he looked at you in that moment with fear you've never known him to show. A completely opposite expression of the other illusions of him you have encountered. Too many Gokus moving on with his human companionship in your absence as if you were a passing face to be forgotten, too many Gokus _happily_ trading places with you here and vanishing into the darkness of Hell where he does not belong, beyond your reach. Each time more different than the last, but wrenching your vulnerable heart to pieces for what felt like an eternity.

"I wasn't afraid when I... _let go._ " You speak up suddenly, your hand lingering just above his. Even if it was an illusion sent to torment you, it was Goku. Someone you could tell anything to. You could speak your heart without consequence as a final confession before you inevitably lose your sanity in this dark place. "Because I was with you. I felt these hands and knew everything was going to be okay with you there with me, I knew it was going to be safe." Before you knew it, your fingers brushed against the blue wristband instead of the offered button. _It's warm_. Fairly moist from the saturation of blood soaked up in it. As your fingers traced up his palm, light smears of red painted the skin around the round object. The touch of skin was so solid you had to hold you breath trying to keep yourself together. "...I keep seeing your face among all this. I keep hanging on to hope of seeing you again." You breathe quietly, a bitter smile rising to your lips. "Do you think... you can forgive me for not keeping my promise? We're not gonna get that spar, stud." 

"H-Hey come on, don't talk like that. Like you're giving up." His tone quickly shifts from the calm he tried to hold. "We're not giving up on you. Especially not me. I... I don't know what this thing is doing to you, but I'm not leaving here without you coming with me. If I leave you here, this evil tree thing is going to eat all of your energy until nothing is left! Dying like this, not even the dragon balls can undo it. It's permanent. You'll cease to exist for good." Goku frets, other hand lifting to your head but hesitant to touch you should you reject him again. 

"Bad people should disappear."

"You're not-" You cut him off when your hand wrapped around his fingers completely ignoring the object, a tight grip around each limb under your shaky digits and your eyes lift in surprise. There's a soft pulse under your hold, the way the blue aura folds to your grip before surrounding your fingers. This heat of skin was so familiar, it frightened you. But you couldn't let go. You become undone at his thumb brushing your knuckles, the warmth in your eyes falling in heavy tears when you released your breathy sob. Your tail lifts and lightly flicks. Cautiously giving into the rise of hope in your heart again. Piece by piece at first, and then warmth swells in your chest all at once. You dare not speak his name, fear that acknowledgment would be another false hope and he would vanish right before your eyes into the darkness once again. "(Y/n)..I'd never forgive myself if I let that happen to you. I want..to spend a lot more time with you, but you have to let me get you out of here." You suddenly feel his other hand on your shoulder, rough palm smoothing the trembles away. You lean into it without hesitation and feel his chest behind you. 

"..I'm cursed." You cry.

"Well then I'm cursed, too. I already said I'm not leaving without you, (y/n). You're stuck with me. I wasn't there to protect you before and I'm not gonna let that happen again. Let me at least do this with you." Hesitant to raise your head and see his face from the torments you've endured, you turn around throw yourself into his chest where your forehead buried, weak to how solid he was in your hands as you clutched the stained fabrics of his gi and bawled into him. _He is real._ _He did come for you. He is **your** Goku._ "Y-You're such an idiot, Kakarot!" You shout into the orange cloth between your sobs. You can feel the quickness of his heartbeat when his arms practically squeeze you against him and the prickle of his aura on your body as he rests a hand on your head beneath your halo. "That sounds about right. It's me, (y/n). Sorry it took me so long to save you this time. I have a promise to keep too, ya know." He lifts his hand and cuts away the roots hanging onto you. You're drawn further into his arms, the larger saiyan standing back up with you cradled to his chest in a bridal hold.

  
The Super Saiyan blue form fades from his body and suddenly you can feel his energy all around you. The greatest relief from this nightmare. You finally lift your head to those bright eyes and cheered smile on his face, wrapping your arms around his neck as you pressed your forehead into his awaiting lips.

"Thanks for waiting for me, (y/n)."


	6. I Claimed You So Proud and Openly

**One week ago**

* * *

  
"Geez Goku, the least you could do is _pretend_ you're happy to see us instead of showing up for the free food. I swear sometimes you're _such a bum_!" Bulma scolded the saiyan as he cleaned one of many bowls displayed around him. She let out a scoff, tucking her arms to her chest and looking on at the furious eating of Goku. "Do they even feed you in that Time Patrol?"

"What do you mean, Bulma? I am happy to see you guys. I mean, I was just here a few days ago." Spoke the doe-eyed male, words almost lost in his overstuffed cheeks before gulping it all down and picking up the next bowl to quickly dig into.

"Try a whole _month_ ago, buddy." The shorter male corrected upon finishing his glass. Goku paused before taking another bite, his eyes widened more at that realization. Clearly unaware of the time difference since he had last been around his close friends, Krillin only shook his head at the obvious reaction from his childhood companion. It seemed weird to him that a cause dedicated to correcting time would have such poor tracking for it. Or maybe that was just Goku's natural oblivious nature shining through.

"Really? It's been that long? No kidding... Then I guess you do have a reason to be mad at me, sorry Bulma." He laughs, embarrassed. Goku lowered the bowl from his face and placed the chopsticks down beside it to better engage his friends this visit. It really did feel like few days ago for him, but if time gets away that easy he knows he better pay closer attention lest he miss something important. _Again_. His visit today was nothing more than his usual check-in for his own timeline, Capsule Corp always being his first stop. The Brief family were excited to see him again, and Bulma quickly spread the word to Yamcha and Krillin before he could disappear from the timeline again to return to his heroic duty. An impromptu lunch date of old friends thrown together by her efforts to catch up with everyone who had grown so distance over the years. Goku, however, didn't waste time going at the food after chatting with Vegeta over some of his noteworthy recent encounters as a Time Patrol Instructor and playing with the young Trunks who always looked forward to his visits.

  
He can see why now that may have upset Bulma. A simple "hey guys" was all he offered to the rest of the gang before stuffing his face of the fine dining courtesy of the Capsule Corp heiress. It did warm his heart to see everyone so well and just as he remembered them. Weird to think he could miss his old friends in his own time when he interacts with their counterparts on almost a daily basis back in Conton.

"Is it that girl you keep talking about? Keeping you rather _busy_ , huh?" Krillin adds, nudging the taller saiyan at his side and wagging his brow suggestively. The inclination went over Goku's head as he tilted his head like a puppy.

"Well, sorta. It's a lot of work being a Time Patrol Instructor. Lots of training goes into it and I get asked by a lot of people to train them. Even I get a little overwhelmed by all of it. Some days I really just wanna nap all day in the sun, ya know? I need a break sometimes too. " He laughs, "But (y/n) is just as busy as me most days."

"That's not what I- Oh _never mind_ , why did I even bother." Krillin pouted and returned to his own food.

"Speaking of her, you guys must be getting pretty serious if you've been living together for some time now. That's a pretty big step, Goku." Bulma points out as she lightly swirled the ice in her own glass.

"You're living together now? Oh man, don't go telling the Ox Princess or she'll be coming to tear down her competition for your hand in marriage." Yamcha snickered in his reclined position. The mere mention of the Princess had Goku leap up from his chair, frantically looking over his shoulder in fear.

"You mean Chi Chi?! Is she here?! Don't let her find me, tell her I had to rush off to train with Whis or King Kai or something-!"

"Woah! She's not here man. Relax." The elder male quickly attempted to calm him, letting his chair rest on all fours again as he waved Goku to sit back down. "I'm just saying she'd be pretty jealous to find out you're dating someone else after you promised to marry her a long time ago."

"Do you _ever_ intend to get married for that matter? You're not getting any younger, you know. I get a feeling this saiyan cutie is perfect for you to tie the knot with it." Bulma chimed back in with a wink at Goku.

 _"Hah!"_ Mocked the Saiyan Prince settled at the opposite end of the table from the others, a derisive smirk on his face found by the other's eyes turning to him. "Please, like _any_ woman would be that stupid to marry a fool like Kakarot.." Vegeta scoffed turning his attention to his rival, "You said she's a living legend around that Time Patrol and one of the most powerful warriors there. Isn't that right? The other saiyans must be throwing themselves at her feet to be her mate if she's as strong as you keep bragging about. It's only a matter of time before you're the one with competition, Kakarot. That's just the way we are."

" _We?!_ " Bulma glares at the Prince, her free hand clenched in a fist and the other trembling around her glass, threatening to shatter it in the force of her grip. But Vegeta does not flinch at her demeanor.

"As in _the saiyans_ , not _me_ you idiot. The stronger, the better." He retorted, countering her glare with his own.

Bulma seemed ready to challenge the remark but only huffed and gave a pout, turning her head away from the Prince. "That means she's practically up for grabs to anyone to try and marry her or mate her- whatever it is you saiyans do." Her glare for Vegeta finds Goku instead who tenses up at the sight of it. "You better act fast if you want her to be your wife Goku or else you're going to lose her forever. And considering your track record, _to someone promising to treat her better!_ " Bulma sneered, words enunciated so harshly, it was easy to pick up whom they were really meant for yet how she directed them at the wild-haired Goku made him flinch.

"Uhh gee, you think so?" Goku stiffly rubbed the back of his neck attempting to remain calm in wake of being caught in the crossfire of the blue-haired woman's pending wrath for her own husband. "I-I mean she's never mentioned it once before. I don't really care about that as long we're happy together." Bulma's hand slams down on the table, making the other males around her visibly flinch as she leaned over toward Goku. This time she even caught Vegeta off guard.

 _"I swear you saiyans are all alike when it comes to being kind and considerate of other's feelings! Then at least make it official!"_ She snaps as Goku shrank in his seat and Yamcha leaned away from her. "Don't you love her at all?!"

"Uuhh Y-Yeah, I guess so! We do hang out and spend a lot of time together, and we do _live_ toge-!"

"Not like that, Goku. _Geez!_ Don't you do anything with her other than train all day? And I don't mean anything like you do with us. Something that's just you two, _special and romantic and junk_! Like, I don't know, a romantic walk through the park, maybe? Holding her hand and showing off how much you love each other? Or even little gifts just because you know she'll like it!" Bulma's words began to become more clear as both Yamcha and Krillin glanced at Vegeta for a moment.

"Bulma isn't that a little personal? Maybe it's just as simple as he says." Krillin attempted to intervene with a reassuring hand on Goku's shoulder. Even he and 18's marriage is as humble and peaceful as they come considering their start.

"That's my point, Krillin! Either they are romantically involved or Goku is investing this girl deep into something that may very well just be friendship with no promise of love for her, he'd be doing exactly what he did to Chi Chi all over again. He has to grow up sometime and take responsibility for toying with a lady's feelings. So spill it, Goku! Do you do romantic things together or not?"

"Uhh.." Goku's eyes bounced between everyone else's suddenly focused on him, even a curious side-eye from Vegeta. It's rare to find Goku stricken silent, even more rare to find a shade of pink filling his cheeks when _something_ crossed his mind. He twiddled his fingers and lowered his gaze to his hand as if he were a timid child. "Well you see, she told me not to talk about _that_. It's supposed to stay between us, you understand that don'tcha Bulma? It's not like Vegeta goes around talking about your old boobies to anyone." 

_"They're not old, you uncouth buffoon!"_ She snapped once again, a quick, restraining hold from Yamcha spares the orange-clad saiyan from her flailing hands clawing out with full intent to harm. Krillin could only try to smother his laughter in his hands at Goku's bold statement.

 _"Hush your damn mouth, Kakarot!"_ Vegeta's outburst came with a rise from his seat as well and his energy increasing with every moment.

"Right, sorry!" Goku quickly apologized, sweating from his hiding place behind Krillin. He moved back into his seat once Bulma was convinced back into hers, but he could feel Vegeta's eyes still burning the side of his face and quickly moved the conversation back on topic. "So then, how do I know if I want to be married to her?"

"It's not hard to figure out, Goku. You always light up when you talk about her the way you do before a fight and it's obviously _not_ because you enjoy fighting with her. I've never seen you talk about anyone like that. That says something." Krillin explained looking up at Goku, a proud smile adorning his features. "I know you, old pal. And I know what it means to be head over heels _and_ happily married with a family of my own. Sounds to me like you're halfway there. You can't deny what your heart already knows, man."

"Well, that settles it. Even _you_ can fall in love with something other than fighting and eating. I guess it's my job as your superior in the field of love to help you make an honest woman out of her." A calmed Bulma stands back up from her seat, taking a proud stance with a hand on her cocked hip. 

"Yeah, some _love expert_ you are. Didn't you marry the guy who came to take the dragon balls and blow up the planet?" Krillin quips at Bulma with a teasing grin.

"What are you saying? _My Vegeta_ isn't a well mannered and decent man now? And excuse me shorty, but didn't you marry the _**android** _created to personally kill everyone we know and love?! _Watch it, Krillin!_ " 

Krillin let out a sheepish laugh, "Got me there." Goku lets out a laugh himself, pausing when a vibration tickled in his pocket. He reached in and took out a communicator donning the Capsule Corp logo, the reveal of it caught Bulma's eye and left her curious to what it could be to bear her company's logo. It beeps when he presses a button and an orange screen projects out revealing your face. With Krillin's words in his mind, Goku's smile seems all the more brighter when his gaze settles on the video of you. The gang notices and exchanges looks among themselves before piling in around Goku to get a good look at you.

"Yo, (y/n)! Goku here, we were just talking about you. Hey, I have a question for you." He greets you with his signature wave. There's an orange tint on the display coloring your face and the visible surroundings in the video, but they all seem to be awed in their own way of your reveal. What stood out was the lack of smile in your face and annoyance evident in the twitch of your brow. He may have looked happy to see you, but you did not look happy to see him.

"Oh good, I have a question for you too. _WHY'D YOU LEAVE YOUR WEIGHTED BOOTS IN THE DOORWAY, KAKAROT?! I ALMOST BROKE MY DAMN NECK COMING HOME!_ " You belted out, making the group jump back at the sudden loudness. Goku who was more use to it than the rest recovered immediately, once again rubbing the back of his neck remembering how he may have done that.

"Sorry, I forgot about those after training. Do you think you can move them for me just this once? _Pretty please?"_ He humbly asks wearing his purest, puppy eyes. Your nose scrunches at the cute display of the Earth saiyan.

" _Once?!_ Don't you start with me! You'd leave your own head behind if it wasn't stuck on your shoulders!" You shake your clenched fist at him, to which he shrugs shamelessly and laughs at the idea of that. A heavy sigh falls from you, taking a deep breath to calm yourself and rubbing your temple. "Ugh. Kakarot _I love you_ , but sometimes I swear you're gonna make me put a halo back on your head, and _not_ as a fashion accessory.."

"W-Woah, she sounds scary. That's a saiyan alright." Krillin whispered to the others now hiding just out of reach of the video, but close enough to gauge your conversation. Not that a projected screen and audio was discreet. Yamcha nodded in agreement as Bulma smirked at your handling of Goku. Finally, someone she could relate to when it come to dealing with these uncouth saiyan men.

"Hey come on, you don't mean that. Then who would you have to train with without holding back?" Goku tilts his head with a cheeky grin at you.

"Vegeta. Lord Beerus. Majin Buu and Uub. _Any elite warrior in Conton_. Need I go on?" You answered without hesitation.

"B-But you like training with _me_ the most, right? You wouldn't _really_ try to send me to King Yemma would you?" The puppy eyes are back, followed with a guileless pout. You couldn't tell if he was playing you just to be funny or genuinely unnerved by the idea of you not training with him anymore. Regardless, there was no hiding how your expression softened to his innocent face.

"Don't get cute, mister. Anyways, there's some beef and rice and dumplings here if you're hungry, better hurry before I eat your share." You tease back, the sudden movement of the others in the corner of his video feed catches your eye and you wave a hand at them. "Oh, hey everyone. Sorry you had to hear that, but...well, _you know him_." You smile at them. Goku looks over his shoulder at his friends and remembers his own question to you.

"Oh yeah! Real quick, I have something to ask but first... Did you mean it when you said you loved me just now? Because it's a funny thing that you mentioned that-"

"What? I di-" A thousand words suddenly became caught in your throat as your previous threat replayed through your memory and you looked like you had just seen death itself. _"-I-I... DIDN'T SAY THAT!"_ Your eyes are wide and race as red as a tomato. The video on your end begins to jump around, your hands fumbling you communicator for the disconnect button. _"YOU'RE HEARING THINGS, COME HOME AND EAT!"_ You shout out before ending the call. The orange display fades back into his communicator as he looks more confused than before.

"Did you hear that, buddy? She does love you too." Yamcha teases as he slaps a hand on Goku's shoulder.

"Then marry her already before she gets stolen away! Seriously Goku, you finally found someone who makes you happy and got you out of that old house of yours, she likes all the same things as you and seems to tolerate you well enough. There's no chance of you **_ever_ **getting this lucky again. It's time for you to grow up. Be honest with your feelings for her, alright?" Bulma comes up on the other side of the Earthly Saiyan wagging her finger as she spoke. She then clasped her hands together looking wistfully into the sky. "It's just a matter of time now, Trunks and Marron will finally have another little playmate!"

A wholesome smile lifts in Goku's face as he started to press the button on his communicator again. "You're right Bulma. That's it then, I'm gonna marry her. I'll call her right now and tell her we're gonna be married to each other." The small device is quickly swiped from his large hands by the small female, her scary sneer back and directed at him.

"That's not a proper proposal, dummy! You don't just _tell_ someone you're getting married to them. You _ask_ her to make sure she wants it too!"

"Okay..then I'll just ask her right now!" He declares reaching for his communicator again, denied by Bulma holding it out of reach.

 _"And you don't do it over a phone call, either!_ Do I have to do everything?!" She huffs, digging into her pocket.

"He's hopeless.." Krillin mumbles.

"Look just _don't_ say anything about it for a while, I'll handle this. Here, I'll lend you some money to buy her a ring. Then when the time is right, you offer it to her and ask her to be your wife. We can even make a nice get together out of it so the others can finally meet her. Consider it a wedding gift from _the great love expert, Bulma!_ But it's a secret until I get everyone informed and ready all the preparations for you, okay?" 

Goku nods, excitement vibrating through his whole body as he stood up. "Got it! Thanks Bulma, I'm gonna need all the help I can get apparently."

"Well congratulations, Goku! But don't go ruining the surprise early, it's a secret after all." Krillin reminded again and pauses in thought, "What am I saying? Relying on Goku to _keep_ a secret? I give him a day before he spills the beans."

"Never mind it, Krillin. I should be able to get this done in a few days. I better make sure to invite Whis and Beerus, as well. Don't want that rascally cat finding out we had a dinner party without them and blow us all up before Goku can propose. I'm leaving this one other thing for you Goku, just do what you need to and get her out of the house for as long as you can and I'll call you when we're ready. Then you bring her back home, we'll surprise her with the food and decorations and then you ask her with the ring. Got it?" 

"Yeah! Man, she's going to be so surprised. Do you really think she'd want to? I can't wait to find out! I'll even ask Supreme Kai of Time and Trunks to help distract her." The delighted male pumped his fists with vigor. Even if you didn't want to get married, he didn't see a reason you wouldn't want to continue to be with him despite what Vegeta stated. And at least there was going to be more good food!

"With someone who talks about her as much as you do, she'd be a fool not to." Krillin nods, giving Goku a thumbs up.

"Ha ha! Goku's finally getting married you guys!" Bulma proudly cheered, giving the man she once knew as a small boy a hug.


	7. So Call Out My Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You don't want to lose a girl like that." They say to him.

**Present Time, Otherworld**

* * *

  
His lips on your forehead is a refreshing grace of reality. You feel grounded again like your mind could finally settle and calm your racing heart. These familiar hands that hold you fills you with a sense of security, and slowly but surely you start to feel your muscles give in and consciousness teeter. Your energy was low right now, exhausted from your cries and your transformations, but mostly from what the roots were able to drain from you. It's been a strenuous ordeal, even for a high-leveled saiyan like you. Goku feels the shifting weight of you in his grasp and lets your head lull itself onto his shoulder, your halo reflecting his eased smile upon you. "I gotcha, (y/n). Rest for now." He reassures you. 

It was best to take King Kai's advice now and get out before anything else happens. Unfortunately, Goku knew he would have to give into King Yemma's request and leave the Ginyu Force behind. It was too risky to stay another moment and gather them all up, let alone free Ginyu.  
  
Right as he began to ascend into the air, King Kai's telepathic screech pulled his attention, words of warning barely caught as a sinister wave of energy ripples across the air at that same moment. The saiyan's skin crawled, telling him something truly bad was about to happen. You stir as well, Goku can feel you tremble in his hold at the sensation and your arms tighten around his neck. It seemed the entity still had some hold on you even when you weren't attached to any of those roots, and he remembers the brief explanation of the tree's aura. He had to get out now.

_**No escape from me** _

Your eyes shoot open and you jump up in the larger man's arms with a shaken gasp. Suddenly, the realm itself rattled all around you both. All the stiff and dead-looking limbs creaked and cracked, moving all at once like gnarled fingers coming to life. The ashen crust of the ground broke apart, wide-ranging crevices opening up to a large root-like appendage. Much bigger than the small vines that entrapped you. This one looked like it could easily dwarf a building and crush you both in a single swipe. More began to rise from the ground varying in large sizes. Peeking out from them were more of the faceless apparitions, silhouettes of their wicked grins vaguely visible but very much there. They were like something out of a nightmare, the shapeless darkness that finds one in the dead of night. Escaping seemed a little more impossible with those lingering around, even if he tried to Instant Transmission. 

Goku immediately guarded you, pressing your head to his shoulder and covering your eyes to keep your sights away from them. He simply wouldn't give them the chance to upset you once again. To strike you of all people with fear and bring you to tears was as unforgivable as the force that lead you to be in the Otherworld to begin with. Naturally, he would choose to defend you here in place of where he felt he failed to. What he waited for now was the right moment to withdraw from here.

_**Seize them** _

In an instant, you jolt in his hands in response to a foreign touch and are snatched from his hands with a scream, his bloody gi slightly ripped from your grasping hands losing contact. Before he could give chase, a sudden tightness around his ankles and shoulders yank him in the opposite direction. He tries to keep his sight on you as he struggles against the restraining tendrils with more filling in around his muscles, pulling and squeezing around to subdue him, and leaving him watching almost helplessly as the smaller of the larger bunch of roots encircle around you. They close around your form to limit the space for escape, your horrified screams muffling behind the slithering mass. The last Goku sees is your hand reaching up for freedom before it too is engulfed. He feels his rage build up in no time and a furious blue aura bursts out around him as his growl fills the air, energy incinerating the roots that bound him. He charges toward the bundle of roots, throwing his aura-laced fist directly into the oncoming limbs and tearing through to get to the bundle. He cleaves through the ball of roots with a ki wave, scouring the devasted mass for any sign of you. Your hand becomes visible again, limp against the remaining roots and he lunges for it. Dropping his aura, Goku takes a hold of the dangling wrist and wrenches your body upward to pull you free. You appear unconscious again, lifeless weight brought against his body as he leaps away from the crumbling mass.

"Goku, no! Wait!" King Kai urged him. Your body began to show signs of life again and you moved your hands to get your bearings. When you raised your head and reopened your eyes, you locked with the radiating blue and slid your arms toward his neck again for support. Only this time, your hands clenched around Goku's throat, squeezing with full force. Red fills your dark orbs, a menacing glow of purple filling the white of your eyes. That wicked smile lifts into your face.

"Wrong one, silly saiyan." The transformed entity revealed, applying more pressure to his windpipes. Another of the shadow creatures comes up behind him to restain his hands and another for his legs as a few large roots close in.

"Goku! It's a trick!"

"I-.. _.know that no-_ " The blue saiyan choked. Finding control to raise his ki enough to blast himself free again, the shadowy creatures hissed and howled at the aura's touch but were not fully deterred for another attempt to capture him from the perch upon the largest root hovering nearby. Goku uses the moment to catch his breath, a hand soothing his throat as he plans his next move carefully. He can still sense your energy in the reforming mass of large roots, however it feels as if it's changing as well. Dropping. He's gotta do something, but reminds himself to remain calm in this moment lest he makes another mistake like that once more and dooms you both. Goku figures the shadows are only meant to distract him while the roots take the rest of your energy. "I think they're weak against my super saiyain blue ki, King Kai. But they're not being subtle on throwing themselves at me either. I guess I don't have a choice but to play their game until I find the right opening. It's a risk, but I'll take that chance for (y/n)." He declares to the North Kai, settling into a fighting stance as the entities creep closer. The one bearing your likeness smirks at him as two faceless creatures appear on either side of it. Their visage starts to fill in right before his eyes. To the right, he saw a reflection of his own face.

No, those sinister eyes and twisted grin could never be his. He could never forget the form that was stolen from him. It took the shape of Goku Black. And to the left was the saiyan Prince adorned with the black trim around his eyes and that evil symbol of Babidi's on his forehead.

"You cannot keep this up forever, saiyan Goku. But I can." They speak in unity, but with one voice. Dark and foreboding.

"So you read my memories and pulled the enemies from my past battles. Is that supposed to impress me?" Goku's eyes narrowed, taking into account shifting movement behind him and is certain it's more of them. "It doesn't matter what form you take, if you have the power to do that much then you should know better. This is only going to end one way. I'm getting (y/n) back, no matter what!"

* * *

  
There are screaming voices fading in your ears when you opened your eyes. A slow, dizzying image takes your vision as your eyes focus and your surroundings still. You throw yourself up, jolting your body from _...a dream?_ A growing sense of numbness quiets the rush you felt in your body to nothing but a faded anxiousness only a nightmare could shake out of you. You're calm, but you feel somewhat foreign in your own body. Alone in this uncanny space. Looking around you, there is nothing but the silent interior of your living quarters in Conton City. You settle into the familiar surroundings and sit up completely on the sofa with a tired groan, teetering on the verge of another dizzy spell.

It's not usually this quiet in here, or rather, you don't remember it being this quiet around your place for some time now. It's vaguely eerie to wake up on the couch and find no signs of life other than your own presence when you've adjusted to something always making noise lately. Some humming, clattering from the kitchen, water running from the bathroom, grunting from a stretchy warm-up, or even a light vibration in the air from...

"Kakarot?" You remember, quickly lifting from the sofa and walking to the center of the living space with your ears vigilant for another presence. Unfortunately, there was nothing there to answer you. "Kakarot... _Goku!_ " You try again, louder for your voice to carry off the walls. Nothing. A survey of all the rooms comes up short with no sign of him. In fact, you noticed some of the things he owned were missing too. Things you bought him from the shopping district. It was as if he were never here at all, this space you rested and made comfortable for two had only the comfort of one occupant. Thoughtfully drifting to a stop near a mirror, your thoughts pause when you looked toward it. The room was reflected as normal, so why was it _you_ were missing from the mirror image? You slowly wave your hand in front of the reflecting glass before inching closer. You placed your hand on the surface finding it to be a simple mirror. Your eyes squint and it more or less looks like something else on the other side, but in a way that it would appear reflected from a window. A smaller hand was pressed where your hand touches the glass. You follow it back to see a child's face barely visible. But not just any child's face, _your face_. It's you when you were small. And standing above was that familiar silhouette of your armored self looking down on your child self. Just behind that was another roughly visible image. It appeared to be the current you standing with your back turned.

You withdraw your hand from the glass and start to back away from the mirror. "Am I dreaming?"

"You are." A distinct unrecognizable voice speaks up and you whip yourself around to see the image of Trunks standing behind you. Only, it was just his face. That familiar blue stare and lavender hair, but on a taller body shrouded in white dragging on the floor behind him and long locks hanging down to his wrists. A third eye of ivory resting on his forehead quickly earned your stare. You can't sense his energy at all and quickly move into your fighting stance. The focus in your vision suddenly blurs and your equilbrium gives way, making you collapse onto the floor against your will. Your entire body feels weighed down, but you find some means to maneuver yourself back up unto your elbows, cradling your head to fight off the dizziness. Again, there is a distant sound of screams that appears and fades out to the silence.

"Who-... _What are you?!_ " 

"Hm..." The creature pauses, eyes roaming thoughtfully before returning to you. "That depends on you. What do you see when you look at me?" The monotone voice inquires and you respond with an untrusting glare and a scoff. The entity in the half-saiyan's image tilts his head and you see the lavender brows raise a little. You can feel soreness in your eyes when looking upon him again that subsides when he speaks again. "Ah! Trunks, huh? He must be a considerable source of wisdom for you." He extends a hand to aid you in balancing yourself but you bat it away with a rough swat and a forceful _"Fuck off!"_ spat his way. Your hostility is met with a small smile.

"I see... You have been very bad too, haven't you? That's why you are here with me. It's why... _kindred spirits_ such as us find a way to each other. But I am sensing that you still believe your stint here will be short-lived." He began to explain moving closer to you. That unsteadiness builds again, only seeming to feel better when you attempted to crawl further away from the being. Is he inside your head? "Dragon balls? You are... suspicious to why you haven't been wished back to life with the dragon balls already. I do not think it's going to happen here. That would be ir-"

"Shut the hell up... Everything I've seen up until now has been some cheap trick and I'm suppose to just listen to you mouth off in my dreams? Some goody-goody act to get me to trust you, huh!?" You winced and tried to focus your eyes without issue, but the longer you looked at him the more it hurt like needles trying to exit your pupils, forcing you to try and crawl away once more.

"Oh.. I suppose you can't, and you probably won't trust me. But I'm not going to hurt you." He smiles, charmingly. The floor seemed to shorten with each attempt to drag yourself away, finding yourself getting closer to him rather than far away. "I am a little selfish, you see. To an often unforgivable extent, but it is who I am." Bare feet peek out from the white robs as it strolls around in front of you, "I just had to see you with my own eyes... It's rare that I encounter someone as powerful as you are. Here, I'm afraid, you will find no use for your strength anymore. You have already fallen into despair." Before you could react, you feel a hand on your head, feeling a pressure grow against your skull and your limbs slowly fall to their own weight before you collapse onto the floor. Those screams that seemed distant return for a moment, and then there is complete silence once again. You feel eerily relaxed, though weighted and helpless. Both anxious and tranquil at the same time, no longer burdened by the invasive trespassing on your thoughts so your eyes could settle unbothered in their sockets when your eyes looked toward him again." The entity easily raises you from the floor, leaving you hovering in the air directly in front of him.

"...They will make the wish. Then I'll kick your ass.." You mumble wearily in defiance. "Kakarot won't leave me like this."

"Yes, Kakarot. I've heard that name before. So many souls have spoken of that being, but they rarely call him by that name..." The hand strokes your head in a comforting manner. "Even so, I have you now and I can assure you reservations for doubt where you are going from here would be useless." He spoke with such sincerity you were almost convinced it was telling the truth. He slips his hand from your head to your face, resting a large palm on your cheek. "Your suffering was so...loud and ashamed. I couldn't resist the chance to end it. Aren't you tired of it, (y/n)?" 

You attempt to shake your face from the touch, clenching your eyes to get away from the voice. "I'm... _I can't move._ " 

"That's normal. Allow me." You are pulled closer against your will, cradled against the white cloth and lifted like a bride in his arms. There is such an alluring warmth given off its body it seemed like it was pulling you in. Once more those screams fill your ears and drift away. It was louder this time.

"...Am I still in hell? Why is it all suddenly so calm.."

"I did this. You know, to make it _easier_ for you." The soft smile rises again. "A pleasant change from the parasites, don't you think?"

"... _You_. You're the one causing all those illusions... _The voice in the shadows_."

"I am." It admits. "Daimao." Your hand is lifted to his mouth where a chaste kiss greets your fingers. " _The Ruinous_ , some say." Glimpses of another reality flashes before your eyes. As opposed to seeing yourself held by the ivory being, you see semidarkness engulfing you. Your limbs are smothered by large appendages with flashes of lights flowing through them like comets in the open space. It was hard to ignore them when they came by your ears, they screamed and what they illuminated of your own body peaking from your bondage appeared translucent. You were fading. Your lip trembled as the illusion settled back in place and your mouth parted, but Daimao cuts you off.

" _Don't beg for that._ " He beats you to your plea, a poor attempt to demand to be let go. A fruitless try to the inevitable and he knew it. You truly were doomed. The futility started to settle in but you needed to reason where you could not fight. You needed to feel like you didn't just throw yourself away to this fate where you did not have any control.

"But... Everyone in the Time Patrol needs me. Kakarot, he... _needs me_. I can't- I won't-"

"Shhh...I said _don't_. You don't believe any of that." The entity begins to walk with you, the front door of your dwelling opening on its own as he exited with you, "You know others will rise to your worship, little hero. And... there was _nothing_ else you could give him, this Kakarot of yours." He pauses at your silence, looking down at you. "You're thinking it's unfair right now that it had to end this way. It is considered _romantic_ to die in the hands of one who cherishes you so deeply, I understand. _But you found me_. And by chance have fallen into my hands. Do you consider this to be romantic, as well? Death is the most intimate embrace." Your eyes narrow, and Daimao chuckles. "Now now, no need to be so grim about it. Am I so unlovable? I only wish to guide you to your freedom."

If you could move even a finger, you would be more than happy to blast this bastard. Yet, even your violent thoughts are smothered by sensations of sudden tranquility forced onto you. Your will continues to try and fight it off, but the screams are even more numerous and chilling when they cross your ears. It was forcing you to accept this peaceful means over the painful truth that you were going to die again. As Goku said, you were going to disappear forever.

"Bad people deserve to disappear, yes." Daimao repeated out loud as you thought it.

Perhaps it was the powerful influence being force-fed into your mind, but maybe you were tired of all the suffering. The inability to be all parts of yourself in all your surroundings throughout your lifetime. Your feelings buried behind carnage and your past hidden from the people you call your friends. Blending in with what was around you to match the truths made _for you_ by others just seemed easier. **_You are strong. You are a killer. You are a hero._** You can say you tried your best to be all of things when you needed to be, but it seemed you were only distracting yourself from the truth for a long, long time. If you could never accept all the parts of yourself, there was never a burden of expecting someone else to. Lock it up in a dark place and throw away the key. There was no denying how deeply it was going to hurt knowing that by accepting this fate _beyond_ fate, you were ultimately giving up and would disappoint the first man you ever loved. Someone who always got up on his own two feet despite the odds before him, looked fate in the eye, and defied it with a simple motivation.

And now you never get to tell him _properly_ the true feelings in your heart.

"At this rate, he may join you soon." The entity spoke up, looking onward.

"...Will this hurt? Where I _really_ am?" You ask softly, letting your eyes drift close in your daze.

"Hm... Being a saiyan, pain doesn't bother you too much I see. But _yes_ , briefly. Like pinching your finger." Daimao smirked knowing very well you still did not trust him, but conceded nonetheless. Your corporeal soul would be assimilated into him, your power would strengthen him, _feed him_. A delicacy of power he had not had in centuries. "You've suffered enough, don't you think? It's time to rest for a while. You will _taste_ all the more satisfying to me with this peacefulness in your soul.."

You reopen your eyes with a soft flutter, the city of Conton pulled straight from your memory with a surreal alteration. "It's nighttime... It's _never_ nighttime here." You muttered. Daimao stops in his steps to take in the surroundings with you.

"Isn't this place peaceful? It's okay, you can look at the moon here. I know how much you've wanted to admire it without turning into a Great Ape. It has been quite some time since I have seen it myself. Lovely... just as I remembered it."

As you settled back into the hands cradling you when he began to walk again, that familiar ki breaks through the haze of your thoughts. Like an echo across the sky, Goku's voice penetrates from above, the sense of his energy growing larger. _He's calling you._ You hear your own name vibrate through the air and all around you. His voice begins to play across your memories, words he has said to you that stuck out in the moments they were uttered. 

_'The Supreme Kai of Time told me there was someone I should train, but I never thought it'd be you! I think you've got some serious potential, my friend.'_

_'_ _This is going to be fun, do your best okay?'_  
...  
..  
.

  
_'There's not a moment I don't think back on the times when I was at my limit...But I always find a way to push through.'_

  
_'Your heart's in the right place. I see why everyone puts so much faith in you to do your best!'_  
...  
..  
.

  
**"Kakarot."** You whisper to yourself, your name once again shouted across the sky.

_'So long as you keep training, I'm sure you will. I'll be sure to get stronger, too.'_

_'You're so much stronger than you think you are, (y/n)!...You're my partner after all, so I should know.'_  
...  
..  
.

  
**"I remember, Kakarot.."** The entity looks down on you when you spoke again and lifted his gaze to the sky the saiyan's scream poured through his illusion.

_'And don't forget I have your back and you have mine, right?'_

_'Sorry... I just wanted to hold your hand because we're a couple. Was that bad? I thought that's what people who **love** each other are supposed to do.'_

Your name shakes the dreamy world around you, shattering the phony display of the city. His voice, _it wakes you_. The way he calls out to you, it moves you "...Kakarot?" Your eyes lift and you sit up in the entity's hands. His voice sounds closer, clearer, louder. "Kakarot!" You shout back. You feel your heartbeat in your chest and renewed energy quickly flows into your body, a gift of vigor and comfort from his voice calling out to you, lifting you from the spell of grief. _You can't give up here_. You shake yourself free of the being's cradle, landing on your feet and ready to take off when a tug at your arm holds you back. "Let me go!"

"There is only pain and despair waiting for you if you try to leave now!" The being bearing Trunk's face warns, the countenance of unwavering calm fallen to a look of desperation to contain you.

"I don't care! I said _let go_!" You snapped back. Your body appeared to act without thought as a resolved glare found your eyes. Your fist clenched and you threw a punch with your free hand into the being's stolen face. The natural instinct to fight fills you, strengthening you, and growing from the depths of your soul. Your feet are firm to the ground and your energy begins to visibly rise around you. "I've had enough of you speaking to me as if you _know_ everything about me! All you've done is reminded me of every part of me I _hate_!" You spat, throwing another punch that liberated you from Daimao's hold as he stumbled back from the force. "I got some news for you, _asshole!_ I am much more than that! _You don't know my heart!_ " Charging forward, the golden super saiyan aura unleashes with a more powerful punch at this monster, the illusion further shattering. " _You don't know my rage!_ " You cry out as your ki sparked, hair elongated and muscles expanded as the Super Saiyan 3 transformation took hold. 

"I already said it once... I decide my own fate, _not you!_ And It's as simple as this: I fight for _me_ , always have and always will. But I know what I live for too, and I will live for Kakarot. He's not giving up on me and I ain't letting him down to the likes of you!" 

It was never Goku's place to save you, you realized. He was there to remind you of the real truth that was hiding in plain sight. **You are strong, you are not alone, and he loves you no matter what.**

"You have no control over me anymore, you creep."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has come a long way from a simple what-if scenario I thought up from the previous story, but this love tale is finally drawing closer to the end. Thanks to everyone who has stuck by and enjoyed it! ♥ I'm having a lot of fun writing a more serious toned fic where the others have more comical elements heavily placed into them. The happy ending is on its way and I hope it doesn't disappoint!


	8. I'll Make Sure To Hold You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'And most importantly, she is in love with you', they say to him.

The false creation of Conton City vibrated around you and continued to crumble. The spell on you had finally broken and the anxieties that riddled you subsided in the presence of rage fueling your spirit. Your mind feels clear of the darkness that clouded your thoughts leaving only the image of bright, sable eyes and a brighter smile. There's a flash before your eyes, seeing your true body in the hazed vision outside this phony Conton, bound by the large roots entwined around you. Only this time there is a hole where a dim light shines on your arm. Another flash where you look to your arm, seeing the large glowing hand wrapped around yours, clinging not only to try and free your limp body but share energy with you in the last moment before it is ripped away by force. You hear your name cried out again before the illusion reforms into the crumbling world it is now, leaving you faced with the manifestation of Daimao. The power you felt flowing through you and stimulating you to fight was not only your own, but Goku's. In it, you could sense his resolve to save you, to see you live. Ever persistent to do all he sets out to, he's still out there fighting for you and waiting for you.

 _'I won't give up, Kakarot.'_ You clench your fist where you felt his touch and turn your eyes back to the entity. Super Saiyan 3 energy cracked around your body as your aura waved the extended golden locks behind you and the loose ends of your clothing. 

"H-How-... _How_ do you still have that kind of power left in your life force?" Daimao recovered from your unexpected assault, the stolen face of Trunks wrinkling into a snarl with stray stands decorating the frame. 

"It's not fate or any of that bullshit you were talking about earlier. No matter how much of my power you leech, you're not even close to finishing me off." You answer, looking down your nose at the creature. In response, he lets out a smooth chuckle and shakes his head.

"You're bluffing... Did you forget I am in your mind?" Daimao taunts with a finger pointed to his head. Another laugh bounces from his chest before he growls again. Wiggles of serpentine movements creep beneath his skin and sharp teeth began to reveal themselves in his grin. Bundles of large tentacle-like roots emerge from beneath the robes, raising him higher into the air. "You wretch! Fight me if you wish, but I already have you! I will grant you the afflictions you cling to and devour you as you are!"

Your feet slowly lift as you hover up into the air as well, unperturbed by the new reveal."You want my soul so bad?" Coming to a halt with your fists raised at your sides, your aura glows brighter as you pull from the energy of your life force. A perfect yellow-gold barrier forms around you, crackling louder than your aura has before and drawing in debris. The monstrous eyes of the entity slowly shifted from vain to a mix of awe and uncertainty, feeling the vortex of your power also try to pull him in. You've built up all your current power like a radiating bomb. Suddenly you feel the tight coil of those tendrils around you in your physical bondage outside this nightmare, all tightened against your muscles pushing back. You can feel your energy channel throughout your body alerting every nerve to respond. "Choke.. on... this!" You scream out, releasing the energy in a great explosion. The faux city finally submits to your willpower and it breaks apart under the great force. 

In the eruption of fiery ki blinding your sights, you emerge in the air with pieces of smoldering roots falling around you and glowing white lights flying for the sky with purpose. The attack disperses and your aura fades altogether, leaving only the golden hair and blue hues embellishing you. Your chest heaved deeply and shoulders slumping over in exhaustion, however you refused to allow yourself to release your transformation. You blink to adjust your eyes, finding yourself back in the ashen corner of hell filled with more massive roots than you remembered. "...Despicable..bastard.." You pant, straining to hold yourself together. 

"(Y/n)!" Goku finds his way to you, immediately guarding your backside with his own back to yours. Rather than embodying the glorious blue of god ki, his hair and aura were similarly gold in color to yours, a normal super saiyan form taken up. "It did work, thank goodness!"

"That was a hell of a risk, why are all your plans some reckless gamble like this, Goku?! I swear if I wasn't already dead I'd keel over from a heart attack because of you!" King Kai fussed, this new voice alerting you and making you look around before looking over your shoulder to Goku who answered the disembodied screech.

"It worked, didn't it? You can chew me out about it later if we get out of here, King Kai."

"King Kai?" You repeat.

"Can you hear King Kai now? That's a good sign!" Goku grinned over his shoulder at you, turning slightly to his side to look you over. "Are you okay?"

"..I'll live." You sigh with a breathless chuckle. "Thanks to you." Your exchange of smiles is cut short by the sinister snickers of doppelgangers around you. They're lurking, hidden in the shadows cast by the roots but you both knew they were close and there were many of them. Most likely waiting for their master to recover to command them beyond denying your escape from here.

"We're a little outnumbered here. Thought giving you some of my energy would even the playing field a little." Goku settles his arms into his familiar battle stance. You take up your owns, putting your back against his to support yourself up.

"Any chance you came up with another crazy idea to get out of here? Dragon balls would come in handy right now.."

"No dice.. King Kai says neither of us can leave if those roots are attached to us. It's gonna get a lot more nasty if we let even a piece of it out of this place. At this rate they'll be back on us faster than I can Instant Transmission us both out of here." Goku admits, slightly looking over his shoulder once again toward you. "I can try distracting them again to give you a chance to get outta here."

"That's not going to work on Daimao.. I'm pretty sure I just pissed him off with that last attack.."

".. Hm, How well do you know the fusion technique?"

"Not enough to keep us both alive in the next 5 minutes." You clench your fist and can feel your borrowed energy continuing to slip away. You couldn't pace your breath to even it out in brace of what was to come next. The attack may have taken more from you than you hoped. Your choice in transformation burning through your energy the way it was known to wasn't making it any easier. Looking down at yourself, a ghostly transparency flickers in your palm and your legs start to pale and appear glass-like. The worst thing you could do is release your transformation and let go of the energy sustaining you now. Uncertainty hangs in your mind if you would disappear altogether or just become like the other bodiless souls, though you feared the former. Daimao's been toying with your head and feeding on you since you got here, there's a strong chance the only thing keeping your body and soul whole was the fact that you were already nothing but spirit energy. "..Not gonna lie, I don't think I have the energy needed for it." It was really feeling like one bad trial after the other just to survive this ancient horror. Goku sensed the gradual shift in your life force as well, risking giving you that boost to keep you going a little longer before. It's hard to say what was even holding you together at this rate. The options were limiting quickly and the time was ticking on your existence now. 

You must have been swaying, trying to keep your focus up and evenly channel your remaining power throughout your body, because it surprised you when you felt Goku reach behind himself to support you. The electric blue of his gaze watched over both your surroundings for either root or wicked manifestation to strike out the moment your guards would drop. His golden super saiyan aura spiked and blurred, fading into the familiar blue god ki with a sense of warning to anything daring to approach. _Oh, he's so warm_. His aura bathes you with a sensation of heated waves and twinkling lights all the way up your backside and you knew he was preparing to make a final stand. Something bold, _something risky_ , something downright foolish and based on dumb luck that was only going to lead you right back to square one, trying to think of the next move that would give you just minutes to plan your escape rather than getting out of this ruinous hellscape together. There was only one clear answer to you at this moment. And you figured the least you could do was not drag Goku down with you. He was going to keep fighting and fighting until they overwhelmed the both of you again. His nature wouldn't allow him to do otherwise. You were the reason he had gotten into this mess, you were going to be the reason he got out.

But first... "Kakarot... Listen, I just need you to listen." You speak lowly to Goku who continued to eye the movements in the shadows.

"Yeah?" 

"..I didn't want you to know what I did. I didn't want anyone in Conton City to know I was one of the saiyans that pillaged planets and destroyed them when I saw fit.. It's easier to just be stereotyped as some aggressive warrior when it didn't really mean anything than to admit everything I was capable of was true. That life wasn't easy to walk away from but I did it. I wanted to be the hero Supreme Kai of Time and Trunks believed I could be. Who I was before I joined the Time Patrol... the truth is I'm no different from Nappa or Vegeta when they came to Earth." You confided in the male saiyan, letting a soft smile find it's way to your lips. "I have grown up a lot in such a short time thanks to them and you... _And_... I did mean it when I said I loved you that day, Kakarot. I don't know what's gonna become of me if we don't get out of here soon, but.. I just wanted you to know that. So if I disappear forever, I do it standing with you." You feel his grip on your tighten, almost shaking. He seems hesitant to look at you this time, instead he lowers his head a little in shame.

**That's right... say your goodbyes.**

"Don't talk like that, like you're not going to make it out of here." Goku gritted his teeth, blue bangs hanging over his eyes. "..I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. Even if I had been a little faster giving you the senzu bean, this wouldn't have happened."

"Don't blame yourself. Sorry I worried you. I want to fight, so I will. " You take a deep breath, turning yourself around to stand at his side where he gripped your arm. You slipped your forearm away, letting him hold your hand in its place and you squeezed his in return. "But if I do disappear here, promise me you will get out. You go home, and you keep training time patrollers. Keep getting strong because you want to, not because you feel you need to." 

**This is the end for you, saiyans!**

"(Y/n).." Goku turns to you, this vision of life and death beyond death as your body looked like the silhouette of pale glass from the waist down. His eyes softened with fret in his super saiyan form, but you continued to look as calm as your own super saiyan transformation could allow. You see that hurt again in his face just as when your spirit slipped away in his arms before. It's fear. It's the ache of a fresh would in his chest where his heart sinks into his stomach and for a moment he forgets to breathe. It was better to make peace with the inevitable than pretend it was not an option no matter how brave your beloved earth saiyan made. Death once seemed so far away and impossible, and yet you see the way Goku looks at you and know it's staring you right in the face. He's scared for you and filled with a panic of all the things he wanted for you, the moments he wants to share with you, speeding through his mind and then gone. 

"Promise me." You insist, continuing to speak calmly.

"..I can't do that." Goku shakes his head. You move in closer to him and wrap your free arm around his torso, pressing yourself into his body firmly. He can see his distressed expression reflected in your halo just under his chin and he squeezes his eyes shut to turn away.

"..I know. But you're going to." You take another deep breath to hold his scent in your nose and the sound of his heart in your ears. "I have an idea, alright?... Remember our final fight against Mira?" You turn your face up towards him, spelling out your plan quickly in a hushed tone for his ear. The Doppelgangers finally made their move and launched themselves at the two of you in your vulnerable moment. Instantly, Goku's godly blue super saiyan ki pumped out at full force blowing them back. His eyes then look to you for certainty. You take hold of his other hand and nod your head for reassurance. His hesitation was brief, but he closes his eyes, thick brows furrowed in concentration as he channeled his divine energy to manifest more deeply around him. Your hands began to take on the aura and it burned in your bones like wildfire. Your body had never taken in the power of a God before and it felt like it was devouring you the further it crawled up your arms into the rest of your body. It took five saiyans to make one super saiyan god and now you're understanding why but there was no going back now. It was this energy that actually harmed the immortal tree and his parasites, after all. It was going to protect you.

**I will not be denied this power! _It's mine. mine, mine, mine!_**

As the blue aura filled your body, your golden super saiyan 3 hair deepened to the blue color and the entirety of your eyes permeated the blue divine power. Both of your auras combined as one ignited flame of furious energy. You gripped his hands harder to try and maintain the divine ki, keeping it from burning your corporeal form into blue embers long enough to initiate your plan. "..Don't worry." You did your best to speak evenly, giving him another smile when he finally looked at you. "I got your back." 

The atmosphere shook when the large roots launched towards you all at once from every side. You and Goku simultaneously bulk your energies to form a barrier around yourselves, snapping roots that crashed into the surface despite their size. You release each other and seem to vanish emerging side by side high in the air where the shadow manifestations were ready to pounce once more and the ground opened up again to further roots. "There!" Goku pointed out, an abnormally large build up of evil energy and a thousand haunting cries beneath the ground revealed itself. You separate once more dodging and weaving through the onslaught and rejoining each other's side in a straight shot toward the ground. In concurrent motions, you both extended your fists and maxed out your energies to manipulate your auras around you, the shape of a large dragon's head emerging around you both and the serpentine body flowing out in a beautifully wild manner behind you. The divine blue dragon fist broke through the crust of the ground with a sonic boom across the surface that cut through each appendage, the large openings filling with the blue light and the disembodied cry of the Daimao broke through. Your attack breached the ground and dived back in over and over, further severing the larger roots and completely obliterating the smaller ones that had already broken up the ground, sending shockwaves back toward the source of the evil tree. 

_**Im-..possible! Impossible! No! No!!**_

The divine dragon fist broke off into two smaller, yet equally devasting dragon-shaped attacks blitzing through the unearth roots in coordinated slithers until the two dragons met in the center and rose to the skies, leaving another shockwave of energy that set off explosions throughout the roots. The two dragons twist around, going higher and higher suddenly joined by lights of souls around them until they breach through the gray clouds and burst out the other side atop a sea of golden billows beneath a lavender sky. In a flash, the blue dragons dissolved away leaving only you and Goku hovering above the clouds of Snake Way. Goku breathes a breath of relief seeing the familiar pathway and peaceful atmosphere. Relinquishing his transformation and black hair falling into their signature style, he lets out a cheer.

"It worked...(Y/n), it worked!" He threw his fists into the air, joyfully laughing over your victory. There was no doubt your combined attacked killed the Daimao, but it certainly hit hard enough to leave a long time impression before it even thinks of trying to feed on saiyans. "That was awesome!" Goku turns to face you to pull you into his celebration and is frozen at the sight. "..(Y/n)..?"

The combined super saiyan blue and super saiyan 3 had fallen away from your body and left only a small flame of energy in your hand. You watched the last of it burn away in embers, each fluttering glow taking a crumbling piece of your hand with it. Your life force plummeted heavily and you looked as if all color had faded from you, your halo the only vibrant part of you. Your eyes appeared lifeless, a faded grey hue in place of dark orbs blankly watching the last of the divine energy leave your grasp. _'So this is god ki. The power of a super saiyan god super saiyan...'_ You think to yourself. Your entire body is numb, but you're sure you are smiling. Drifting, _sinking_ , your body isn't responding to you. _'Amazing..'_

"King Kai!" Goku cries out, lunging to grasp your other hand as it crumbled to dust at his touch. "King Kai! Tell Trunks to make the wish! _Hurry!_ " Darkness creeps at the edge of your vision, blurring and closing around the sight of Goku trying to grab a hold of you, but you're starting to falling further away from him. There is no pain. "(Y/N)!!" Falling apart as the last of your life energy began to leave you, your own voice in your head is starting to sound far away. _'Promise me..'_ Your eyelids fall close over your eyes and you fall back through the golden clouds. The encroaching darkness shifts to a bright white. There is a sensation of floating and it's quiet all around you. Then there's nothing. For a moment? For...ever? How can one discern such things in a state like this, you do not know. And suddenly...

a sound penetrates through the silence.

* * *

**. . .Y o u r w i s h h a s b e e n g r a n t e d.**

* * *

Your eyes open slowly, adjusting to your new surroundings. Your body felt heavy and somewhat stiff, but you do not hesitate to try and sit up. Much to the excitement of the Supreme Kai of Time at your side who let out a joyous squeal in your ear. Her hands find your back and supporting your arm, she smiles at you but you see it poorly masking her tears. "Thank goodness you're back! Trunks, the wish worked. (Y/n) is up! It was just in time!" As she spoke into her communicator, your eyes scanned around the impressive dwelling and once you realized what was missing you threw yourself to your feet. You staggered under your own weight and actually collapsed to your knees briefly, frantically looking for a door and heading towards it once in sight. There was only one thing on your mind right now. The heaviness of your body had you moving at a sluggish pace but you were not going to let it stop you from moving forward. 

"Where's Kakarot?" You utter wearily, "I need to find him." You shake yourself free of the Supreme Kai of Time's hands as she tries to keep you up or get you to come back to rest - _you're not even sure._ You just have to see him and didn't relent to her small hands on you. You duck your way out of the doorway and into the open Time Nest, holding a hand over your face against the brightness of the light hitting your eyes. Your sleeves are different, _white_ , something immediately catching your eye prompting you to look down at yourself. Forcing your body to run as best you could to the pool of water, the vivid reflection of yourself holds your gaze. **No halo** , an immediate relief and you find your clothes look akin to the attire of the Kais, more so Supreme Kai of Time with how the sleeves hung off your shoulders. A change of clothes was most likely needed considering the condition of your last pair.

"(Y/n)!" You hear Trunks' voice call out from the Time Nest gate, you turn in response to see him running towards you with Tokitoki tailing him in flight. And out in front of the half-saiyan, an orange blur instantly appear. Goku turns toward you and bolts in your direction, stopping just within a few feet of you and looking you over with those large, worried eyes. He seems stuck in his feet unable to make another move closer, only staring into your eyes. You solve that quickly. Scurrying up to your feet, you couldn't move fast enough to throw yourself at him, greeted by his muscular arms welcoming your embrace with a tight squeeze around your shoulders and back. It was truly over. Finally, you were home. You hear a sound from the male saiyan over your shoulder, one you have never heard from him before and it immediately takes hold of your heart when you picked up on it.

"I thought I lost you there." You hear the broken sob softly leave his lips for your ears alone, delicate words followed by his relieved laugh. His grip on you grew tighter and you feel the shudder in his chest. His arms are locked around your frame and his entire body feels as if it is trembling against you. That familiar warmth consumes you and the fresh scent of him pressed against your face alone made it all the more real.

" _..You idiot._ " Is what you managed to utter in an overcome and joyous weep of your own. Your vulnerable eyes are heavy with tears and you inhale sharply through your nose before burying your face further in his shoulder to hide them from the world around you. "Y-you don't have to cry about it, ya big softy!" An attempt to joke as all things began to feel safe once again. Your hand clutch at his back and the other stroked the back of his neck as you held him as close as your bodies allowed. He laughs again, charmed by your everlasting need to appear tough even as you cry into him. Goku had only released you enough to wipe his eyes clean with his forearm and placed his arm back around you. Having you like this is the best he's felt all day.

Experiencing this depth of affection and concern for your well-being is still so new for you as a saiyan. This love, his kindheartedness, immediately overwhelmed your heart without you knowing. The moment his lips first touched yours, he had rooted himself in your life for the rest of eternity. It didn't make you feel weak to cry with him, nor did you feel uneased to soothe him where you knew he enjoyed your hands on his nape and back. Another whimper falls from you into his body letting your emotions take you. Goku has always been the one to make you feel all of them so intensely when you tried to stave them off. But not anymore, no longer would you hide them from him. _Pride be damned_. He followed you all the way to Hell to save you from a fate beyond death itself and risked his life to make sure you'd return. Everyone played a part in restoring you back to life, but Goku fought the hardest for you when you couldn't even fight for yourself. He loves you without words. 

You're trembling in his arms and crying into his shirt as you clutch your hands into his fabrics more. There's so much you need to say to him. "I...won't be reckless with this second chance, _I promise_. I-I'll get stronger, I won't disappoint you like that again, I-"

"There's nothing wrong with you, (y/n). Don't worry about all that. I'm just glad you're back. " His words comfort, pulling you away to look upon your face. He wipes the heavy tears from your eyes with his thumbs and leans over, pressing a loving, long kiss upon your lips. Smaller ones are peppered in and you welcome them all like a breath of fresh air. Goku's large hand soothes your back and cradles your head to him, and he pulls away holds you close to him again, "That's the most important part right now." 

Elder Kai finally joins the side of Trunks and Supreme Kai of Time, huffing and puffing to catch his breath "Dagnabbit! Can't you two learn to wait, I'm not as spry as I use to be!" He pants for breath, hunched over with a hand on his chest. Trunks gives the old man a pat on the back as Supreme Kai of Time wiped her tears at the loving display between you and Goku.

"Guess we got more in common now, huh?" You laughed between your sniffling, drawing back as far as his arms would allow you to look up at him with a content grin. Goku lets out a laugh of his own, infecting Trunks and the others around you.

"I bet you're hungry now right? Let's go get you something to eat." Goku offers, lowering his hand to yours, to which you squeeze it affectionately as you're lead toward the Time Nest's gate to Conton City.


	9. Close To Me

You take in the visage of the real Conton City and all of its busy noises with a deep breath of familiarity and comfort. The shine of the endless sun, sounds of attractive displays with the clutter of voices all speaking around them and the gusts of air when patrollers flew by at a high speed. You welcomed it all. However, the exterior gate leading into the Time Nest is found in ruins. It's mostly blocked off while the CC robots work away at cleaning up the debris prepping the area for repair. There's no fighting allowed in the actual city so it did raise your curiosity as to what power had to have caused this level of destruction. Your thoughts don't linger on it too long as you are lead away with a tug from Goku's hand still holding onto yours as he seemed eager to move away from the area all together. Your gaze finally turns away from the destroyed pathway and you look forward to the sound of your name cried out by various voices, the trio of rookie patrollers you escorted to Namek making a hasty approach towards you despite the blockade. 

"You're okay! Thank goodness!" The majin patroller forced a smile in an attempt to hold back an overcome sob. "W-we were worried and wanted to help, but-"

"We heard about everything going on in the Other World from Trunks and King Kai. We wasted no time helping him gather the dragon balls for you. I knew you'd return to us in one piece, if anyone was going to do it you'd be the one to, Hero!" The saiyan patroller spoke up with a relieved smile. Breaching the small gap between the two was the emotional third of the group, the human patroller who collapsed at your feet, head low to the ground and an uncontrolled cry trembling out of his body.

"I'm so sorry!" He cried out, "It was all my fault! I acted like I had something to prove and wound up getting us all in danger! I should have waited for your command, I'm so sorry! It should have been me for acting so recklessly to begin with, then we wouldn't have been ambushed by Cooler! Please forgive me, please please forgive me.." It was quite a pitiable display for a warrior, this large human male groveling at your feet for forgiveness but you saw the guilt in his actions and understood how deeply the moment had affected him. The act of one who had been punishing himself when no outside force had met his own expectations for it. You turn your gaze up to Goku for a moment, flashing him a small smile as you release his hand and you squatted down to offer it to the weeping man. 

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about that. It's not your fault..." You speak through your smile, the comforting sound of your voice halting the cries like magic as he looked up to you with the remaining tear falling from his eyes. "None of us saw that coming. No one is going to blame you for that, especially me. I'd rather it be me than one of you guys taking on power you have no formal training for. I was supposed to be keeping you guys safe, remember? But you all came through on your own and got us all out of there." You chuckle lightly, "And everything is okay now. So suck it up." You raise yourself up slightly keeping your hand extended and he grips it for you to assist pulling him back to his feet. "We'll just have to give it another go until we get it right, yeah?" You wink towards the three, collectively their eyes light up with anticipation and excitement.

"You can count me in, too." Goku adds with an approving thumbs-up, "I'm not taking no for an answer this time, (Y/n)." Words you couldn't argue with, but you playfully roll your eyes and tilt your head toward him.

" _I can handle it, Kakarot_." You tease before you are suddenly encased in a bear hug by the large human and lifted off your feet, swung back and forth as the rest cheered.

"You're so forgiving! Thank you, hero! I won't let you down!" He began to cry again and you're sure these are happier tears than before.

Trunks, the Elder Kai, and Supreme Kai of Time had finally come through the gateway in time to see your joyous reunion with your worried fans. It quite easily took away from the construction work being done right next to you all. Trunks thanked the trio for their hard work and sent them off to continue their day at their leisure, they had certainly earned it. You also thanked them for their help, wishing them well on their way as they departed and you wasted no time returning close to Goku's side once more, taking his hand again and in response he locked his fingers around yours.

"Goku, you should be getting (y/n) home." The Supreme Kai of Time waves you both away. "None deserve more rest today than you. No need to hang around here any longer, anyways."

" _Oh sure_ , even though _you_ caused the mess to the Time Nest. Leave it to us." Sarcasm dripped in the Elder's tone as he waved you both off as well.

"Yeah, sorry. I didn't mean to destroy it but I'll make up for it any way I can. Just let me know." The doe-eyed saiyan smiled through a detection of shame in his tone but heeded their words and began to walk off with you. 

" _You_ did that?" left your lips, turning a final look behind you at the damaged area before your eyes went up to him at your side. 

"N-Not on purpose," Goku admitted with a small laugh, averting his gaze a little. "I was angry. I lost control of myself for a moment... when I couldn't save you." His confession made you squeeze his hand a little tighter and you leaned into his side more as you walked, pressing your forehead into the muscle of his shoulder.

" _But you did_." You murmured affectionately. "Thank you... Goku."

The walk to your shared home was enchanting in a way you couldn't quite explain. Of course there was the option to fly or Instant Transmission for a faster arrival, but every second through your escort home felt more meaningful with the company at hand. The entire stroll you held onto Goku's hand and it was like it was just the two of you moving through the city, existing in a world parallel to what you saw with your eyes and it was significantly better. It was warm, comfortable. Everything outside of the "bubble" just moved in a separate pace. If you had drawn other's attention, you were completely blind to it. Goku would look over to you and you would return his gaze, and like a worn-in habit you continued to press yourself into his side as you walked, only leaving it to just handholding when your steps were awkward and out of sync. Only when you had reached your home did you realize how warm your hands were together when Goku had finally released you to walk on your own and the cool air brushed your palm. A breeze carries a warm smell that draws you in and alerts your stomach to something tasty.

"Do you smell that? Something smells really good. Let's see if we-..." You turn around to see Goku had stopped a few feet behind you. Your eyebrow quirked curiously and you tilt your head at his suddenly awkward stance when he noticed you watching him. "What's wrong?" Goku stood stiff with such a pensive posture in his upper body and arms clenched at his side as he looked down at the ground. He looked like he was going to explode. It was such a switch in his demeanor it left you concerned and you took a few steps toward him. "Kakarot?"

"Be married to me, (y/n)!" He explodes out, the words freezing you in place with wide eyes and breath snatched away. There is this silence between you both for a moment before he continues with an uncharacteristically display of apprehension, twiddling his finger and continuously switching his gaze from his own hands to you and back. "I...I want to always be able to be close to you and make you happy. Because... of... _how strong you are_ and how much stronger we are _together_."

"You..want to marry me so we can fight?" You finally ask as you break from your stupified trance.

"It's more than that.." 

"...Because you think I-I'm not as strong as you are?" 

"No! Never! You're an amazing fighter.. _And_ you're super cute! -No, _you're beautiful!_ I can't really wrap my head around it but I know in my heart I really like being with you no matter what. I like fighting you too, and all the other things we do together. I love being in Conton City because you're here... But just being around you makes me happier no matter where we are. It's enough to be here knowing you are too."

Your hand clutches at your chest as you feel your heartbeat in your chest and skips in its rhythm, bright eyes watching the other saiyan fumble around his thoughts. The more he spoke the less graceful they seem to be, but all the more true they rang in your ears when he let them fall from his lips. Goku began to move closer, lessening the gap between you and looking less nervous with each movement.

"Do I..make you feel happy, too? I-I know we never really talk about stuff like this, but Bulma says when someone makes you feel that way, you should hurry up and "tie a knot" with them, which I guess means to get married. Even Vegeta agreed that I would end up losing you if I didn't make you my wife before someone else did or... _you leave for good_. And I know didn't want that. With how fast everything happened to you today, I was really worried I might not get to be with you anymore. I love you too much to let that happen, (y/n)." 

"Kakarot-..." His large hands find your shoulders as he comes in closer to you. He speaks with more certainty and his eyes hold your gaze. 

"-If being married makes us stronger whether we're together or when we're apart, if I get to be the one who gets to make you happier like you make me, _more than anyone else_.. I want to be married to you, (y/n)! It's just like you said, I feel like I have grown up a lot in the short time I've spent with you and I never wanna go back from it." Often times it was hard to keep in mind just how sage Goku truly was in his own way, it left you all the more speechless. This was by far the most mature and honest thing you ever heard Goku speak to you. It came from a place of vulnerability and truth within his heart, taking his time to pick all the words that felt right for all you meant to him. He must have been holding onto that for a long while, waiting for the right moment to tell you how deeply he feels for you. You were so moved in your shock, you hadn't noticed the tear that had fallen from your eye until he wiped it away from your cheek. "I promise I'll do everything I can to keep you safe and happy for as long as I live. Even longer if I'm allowed to! And if not... I'll find a way. You can count on that."

You stand in silent awe, stunned by his heartfelt declaration. Your lips part, words trying to form on your tongue but all jumbled into nonsensical croaks of your voice. You're breathless trying to gather your own thoughts.

"I-I..Kakarot, we-... Are you sure that's what you want? I...There's so much to consider about marriage, and-"  
  
"Oh for the love of- _Say yes already so we can eat!_ He made all that fuss about you for this? We didn't spend all this time waiting for you to turn him down. I'm getting impatient here! Get this over with and say yes before I destroy you both to end the suspense!" You hear the snap of the God of Destruction from overhead. You both turn in response and see nothing at first, but then an illusion falters up high, revealing a large bubble containing Beerus and his companion Whis, and even more surprising all of Goku's friends looking down at you.

"So much for a subtle observation, my lord. I get you are impatient but you don't have to yell it _in here_." The Angel sighs.

"Yeah! Come on, (y/n)! We went through all this trouble to surprise you with a big party for Goku's sake, you can't just turn him down now! It would mean everything to Goku if you accept his proposal!" Bulma follows, pumping her fist as she spoke.

"Hmph. Besides, if you say no now he's just going to be even more insufferable until you do." Vegeta adds in his reserved tone.

"Ew, are you guys going to kiss now? Can you wait until after we eat? I kinda wanna eat some cake before you gross up the place." The kid version of Trunks seemed to cringe at the idea.

"Can't say I want to see that either, but if he's making a big deal about making her his wife, then she must be worth the trouble." Piccolo agreed, showing no true care to the matter but his prudent smirk showed support to the matter.

"Hey! You'd be doing my bud a favor if you say yes! I've heard some good things. He could stand to have someone like you keeping an eye on him for a change." Yamcha waved down at the both of you.

"Right. There's something very strong between you, I hear. Bonds that keep pushing you like that should always be built upon for a promising future." Tien nodded, arms tucked behind his back,

"Yeah, don't want him ending up a loser like Yamacha." Vegeta quickly adds with a smirk much to Yamcha's dismay and irritation to Bulma.

"Well, what we're all trying to say is. Ya really make Goku happy, the kind of joy we see him get when he knows he's going for something he really wants and we can tell from his stories he makes you feel the same way to put up with the big lug for this long. You're all he can seem to talk about these days when he finds time to visit the rest of us. We know he's in good hands with you." Krillin further explains with his daughter in his arms and wife standing at his side.

"It only makes sense after saying all of that. But whatever, don't make us waste our time showing up for you to turn him down in front of us." Android 18 shrugs.

"The turtle school is behind you boy! Don't forget the Turtle Hermit way even in marriage with your hot, young wife! Remember all you learned from the Master." The Old Turtle Hermit Roshi shouts down with a heft laugh at his words that only seemed to amuse him.

"Now now, everyone. It's still (y/n) decision if she wants to be wed to Goku. Though considering all he went through today to try and bring you back to life, it would be a tad _tasteless_ to turn his offer down. But of course, whether she says yes or no, the food will most certainly not go to waste." Whis chuckles behind his hand, excited for all the delicacies awaiting him. The others reeled at Whis' words about your revival and turned their eyes to him in surprise.

"-Wait a minute, _back to life_!? She died today and you didn't think that was important to mention, Whis?! Goku that's not what I meant by get her out of the house!" Bulma shouted down once more, balancing herself with a hand on Vegeta's shoulder who supported her as well with a hand wrapped around her arm lest she lose her balance and reveals the underside of her dress. "Now you can't say no, (y/n)!"

"While I'm still feeling merciful, already!" Beerus follows as eager as his angelic guardian.

"Wow, it's already starting to sound like a party over here." The soft voice of the small Kai of Time steals your gaze, her hands on her hips as she surprised even Goku with her sudden presence behind him and Tokitoki at her side with a coo. "We'll work out the details later as far as your different timelines go, but it's fine. We've been hard at work keeping you distracted for this very moment to surprise you." She holds up two fingers and gives you a wink, "You have the official approval of the Supreme Kai of Time and the Time Patrol!"

Ah, the hovering made sense now. This morning when he was anticipating your departure to a point worthy of suspicion, he was planning all of this for you. _To Propose to you._ All of his friends are here along with the Supreme Kai of Time. When had he gotten so good at hiding things from you? You managed to take a few deep breaths and reign in your emotions, the expression on your face slowly forming a scowl and you turn your eyes to the taller saiyan in front of you. "So you really thought you could trick me out of the house to surprise me with a marriage proposal in front of all of your friends? The reason I've been worked like a mule the last few days?! That makes _you_ the reason I died today and was put through literal hell! You used Trunks to set me up!" You shouted at the taller saiyan, prodding your finger painfully into his chest as he and everyone around you looked on dumbfounded by your exclamation. Your fists clenched and you step further into his face, slightly lifting yourself up on your toes to get in his face, "Let me tell you something, buster! **_Of course I'm going to marry you_** and be your wife until the day I die and there is nothing that's going to stop me, got it?" Your angry facade falls into a soft, emotional smile, your entire demeanor once again giving into the overwhelming warmth that filled your soul and your eyes filled with heavy tears. "So don't expect me to be calling you _"Kakarot"_ anymore like you're my training master. My husband's name is Goku! And I am happy to share my life with you, in this life and the next." You see the shock in his face light into a hopeful beam of pure joy and thrill.

"So you're saying-"

" _Yes_ , Goku." You laugh with joyful tears beading at the corner of your eyes finally falling and you pull him into a deep kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck, "Of course I will."

You're lifted from your feet and spun in the air by your ecstatic and now future husband, who could only hoot and holler over and over _"she said yes!"_. Never had such a fulfilling gift of pride and love brought you to tears, quickly wiping them away when you're brought down into his arms and as he had promised himself once he had you in his arms, _once he truly had you_ , there was no mercy from the assault of loving kisses across your face for all to behold. Their tickle and tenderness could only make you laugh more in acceptance to them. What you have with this saiyan man, death cannot bend or destroy. This selfless love will keep you afloat through anything because you believe in him.

The entire bubble cheers and applauds with the exception of Vegeta and Piccolo who remained cross-armed and Beerus who greedily rubbed his hands together for what was to finally come his way. Once safely on the ground and Whis drops the barrier, the group makes their way over in a rush and leap into a group hug around you both. Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha, Roshi, and Tien all congratulating their friend and welcoming you in like an old longtime companion, Piccolo and Android 18 tailing behind and holding off the hug itself but sharing a soft smile at the display. And of course the Prince who made no movement, standing alongside the Destroyer God and Whis but bore a grin in his features for his rival.

"Good on you, saiyan. Now we can eat." Beerus nods as he, Whis, Vegeta and even Trunks follow the aroma of the awaiting buffet. Soon after your proper introductions with the found family of Goku, the rest of you had made way to the back area of your home for feasts and merriment.

"Goku did you seriously _not_ get her a ring before all this?! What did you do with all the zeni I gave you for it!?" Bulma could be heard spouting across the music and chatter as she stood in front of Goku.

"Sorry Bulma, I _kinda_ lost it trying to hide it from (y/n)."

"You're unbelievable! Thank god only (y/n) has to put up with you from now on!"

"...That was for a ring?" You whispered to yourself, remembering the suitcase filled with money you found a week ago left in the bushes outside your bedroom window. You didn't mention it as your greed had gotten the better of you in a moment of weakness at the discovery. Knowing what became of it when you found it, you remained quiet on that matter and sipped from the drink you carried in your hand. You barely noticed Vegeta coming up behind you as he moved to stand at your side, watching in second-hand embarrassment at the childish manner of Goku pleading for mercy at the wrath of his own wife's berating. It was like watching siblings squabble over nothing and it got tiring very quickly.

"Ridiculous...All the powerful warriors I keep hearing about here and you end up with Kakarot." His voice catches your attention. "I'll admit he's a decent enough warrior and will keep true to his word to protect you in a real fight, there's no denying that. But you seriously want to be stuck with an oaf like this for the rest of your life? He'd leave his head behind if it wasn't screwed on." Vegeta glances at you and you turn back towards Bulma carrying on giving the orange-clad saiyan a mouthful before submitting to it being her own fault for trusting that simple task to him. How Goku continued to be so humble and content with that contagious smile and dumb, handsome face of his. There was no doubt he had won you over a thousand times with that wholesome twinkle in his eye and kind beam. The embodiment of everything you never knew you wanted from a man that found you when you weren't even looking. 

"I do.." You smile warmly at Goku, his eyes finding yours and returning the gesture with his cheeriest grin. "Yeah, _I do_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end! ♥ Thanks for all the support through the journey of writing out this love story with my favorite saiyan! I look forward to writing more in the future but hope for now this has been entertaining for you all!


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